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[QUOTE]in 2007 900 ATCs took 15,700 sick days, an average of about 17 days sick leave each./QUOTE]
Some clarity of these figures should be asked for. It has been suggested these figures included 'everyone' that asa deems to be a 'controller', even those 'not active', such as supervisors, but more importantly, those on long term sick leave (operations, medical disqualification pending resolution one way or the other, cancer). Perhaps someone should ask how many sick days per 'active controllers', how that compares with previous years, and other industries? |
Let's look at other facts related to the trumped up sick leave numbers as well.
ATC's are legally obliged not to work when suffering from medical impairment. Add the following as published by the Vic government Shiftwork - health effects - Better Health Channel. Shiftwork - Health Effects Research findings are beginning to show that shiftwork can be hazardous to your health. There is a small part of the brain called the ‘circadian clock’, which monitors the amount of light you see, moment by moment. In the evening, when the light starts to wane, your clock notices and prompts a flood of a brain chemical called melatonin, which gives the body the signal to fall asleep. Overnight, melatonin levels remain high. They drop at daybreak and remain low during the day. During the day, other chemicals (neurotransmitters) – such as noradrenaline and acetylcholine – increase in the body and keep you awake. This system keeps you synchronised through the day–night cycle. Many other functions of the body – including temperature, digestion, heart rate and blood pressure – fluctuate through the day, tuned by the activity of the circadian clock. This changing rate of activity over each 24-hour period is known as circadian rhythm. A person who works nights, or starts their working day before 6am, runs counter to their circadian rhythm. This may put them at risk of health problems. Your metabolism at night An important body function, which follows the circadian rhythm, is the internal body temperature. This temperature increases through the day. It reaches the lower level in the early hours of the morning and reaches the maximum level late in the afternoon. The tendency to fall asleep and stay asleep occurs during the decreasing phase of the temperature circadian rhythm (between midnight and 4am). As the body temperature rises, it is more difficult to stay asleep. This is why night workers who try to fall asleep at 8am find it very difficult and also find it difficult to remain asleep through the day. Increased risks A person working the night shift is at greater risk of various disorders, accidents and misfortunes, including:
Shiftworkers get, on average, two to three hours less sleep than other workers. They often sleep though the day in two split periods, a few hours in the morning and then an hour or so before going to work at night. Night workers can find it difficult sleeping during the day (particularly in Australia). It’s difficult to keep the sleep environment dark as well as free of noise. Rotating shifts The best rotating shift pattern is still undecided. For the most people, rotating forward through day, afternoon and night shift is better than backwards (night, afternoon then day). The frequency of rotation is also controversial. Some people advocate prolonged rotation, such as two to three weeks. Others advocate short rotations of two to three days. Both have advantages and disadvantages. It takes about 10 days for the body to adjust to night shift work. However, it is common for night shift workers to revert to daytime routines for a day or two during days off, which tends to make the circadian rhythm unstable. The amount of hours (8-hour versus 12-hour shifts) is also controversial. It can be said that 12-hour shifts stretch the body’s tolerance as far as possible. It’s very important that no overtime should be allowed during a rotation of 12-hour shifts. Another risk to sleep is when a worker on seven 12-hour shifts a fortnight uses their free time for another, almost full-time job. Where to get help
Throw in an ageing workforce with family responsibilities, most people in my group are late 30's to mid 40's with kids ranging from 3mths to late teens. Include a number of people doing silly levels of OT, up to 3 shifts per fortnight. You don't have to be Einstein to work out why AsA's sick leave levels might be a little high. But apparently you do have to be smarter than TFN. The sad fact is AsA will probably force through a sick leave cap. Some poor sucker will come in when not up to it due to being out of sick leave and have an incident and they will be hung out to dry. TFN meanwhile will be counting his dollars at another organisation he is in the process of running into the ground. Think it could be time to update the CV. |
Spotted on the Civil Air website:
How many Operational Controllers are there really? Airservices Australia have recently claimed there are 972 Operational Controllers. An internal survey & audit by Civil Air reveals the following numbers: Full Time Equivalent 'Full Performance Controllers': 601 Full Time Equivalent 'Part Qualified' Controllers: 84 Supervisors & Check Controllers working Air Traffic: 27 Trainees working Air Traffic: 40 ......................... TOTAL FULL TIME CONTROLLERS COVERING TRAFFIC ROSTER LINE: 754! So: Where are the other 220 or so?? Good question. |
SM4
I think for the sake of accuracy you should lose the 40 trainees working traffic...until they have a licence, they shouldn't count!
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until they have a licence, they shouldn't count! |
from www.civilair.asn.au
Media Release - A response to Airservices Australia Tuesday, 29 July 2008 Press Release - July 29 2008 A response to Airservices Australia Recent allegations by Airservices CEO Greg Russell that controllers are deliberately closing airspace are baseless and insulting to the professional Air Traffic Controllers of Australia. Air Traffic Control is the business of providing safe passage of aircraft throughout the airspace administered on behalf of the Australian people. Civil Air and its members take this responsibility extremely seriously and despite years of staffing reductions, corporate and operational restructures, Australian ATCs have continued to provide a service that on world standards is second to none. Recent analysis shows Australian controllers to be amongst the most productive in the world. The increasing rate of closures and service reductions is symptomatic of a system slowing failing despite the efforts of those that actually provide the services. Controllers and support staff are constantly required to bridge gaps in coverage by way of overtime or handling multiple pieces of airspace alone where risk modelling has already determined a need for 2 or more controllers to manage the workload. The onset of the current ATC malaise corresponds closely with the latest management restructure in which over 100 operational ATC Supervisors were appointed as front line managers commencing March 2007. Significantly, these supervisors were previously part of the coverage of ATC rosters, day in day out helping with the workload of providing an ATC service. Since the restructure the vast majority of these new managers have been limited to purely supervisory tasks, no longer licensed to provide air traffic control at the workface. The direct impact of this has been a reduction of available ATCs to cover roster shortfalls. In parallel with the management restructure Airservices, the government owned business responsible for delivery of ATC, commenced a restructure of airspace and the controllers that operate it. This requires virtually every controller in major centres to retrain for new airspace and procedures. Quite apart from the obvious additional workload associated with the actual training the effect is to vastly reduce the flexibility of rosters as controllers drop qualifications in one area to train for those in another. Airservices currently quotes a staffing shortfall of 17 controllers plus another 14 in critical operational support positions. They have also publicly admitted to long term systemic reliance on overtime to keep the system afloat. There is no provision for staff absence (sick leave or other) except by way of utilising overtime. Airservices has identified a requirement to carry staff at 110% of minimum operational requirement simply to remain viable. This places the shortfall at approximately 100 staff. Despite figures quoted it appears that the average sick leave per full time employee in the public sector is between 8 and 9 days per annum (as at 2006). The figure for ATCs is approximately 11.5 as quoted internally by Airservices. This is for a workforce that provides shift working coverage 24 hours a day 365 days a year and is subject to stringent medical requirements and fitness for duty standards far above the public norm. ATC sick leave figures equate closely with those in other similar shift working environments such as nursing and policing. A controller who is not up to the legal standard is a potential danger to everyone and must stand themselves down from duty or face strict penalties defined in Civil Aviation Safety Regulations. Air traffic controllers are provided with sick leave as required. This was provided by the employer as an exercise to reduce a corporate liability for accrued sick leave and was not a position that Airservices was tricked into. Indeed they initiated it. Controllers must provide a certificate for any sick leave exceeding 1 day and will require a full medical examination if absent for longer terms. Airservices' own figures show that shifts requiring coverage (for all reasons including sickness) are roughly stable and that, per controller, the take up of overtime is slightly increased. Controllers do not want to be part of a failing system. They are proud of the service they provide and their ability to do it. That some are forced to seek employment overseas or retire early simply because they can no longer cope with a system that fails to support them and blames them for its shortcomings is symptomatic of how bad things have become. There simply are not enough controllers to keep the system running. Robert Mason President, Civil Air July 27, 2008 |
In my opinion the problem all stems back to the use pays concept.
In some way, shape, or form, all Australians benefit from aviation; not just the passengers. Ergo, all Australians should pay for the service provided to aviation as a public service provision, not as a way for the government of the day to generate income. When the raison d'ętre becomes service provision, rather than income generation, then perhaps we won't see VR offered quite so often, and staffing levels set where they should be. |
Just my opinion along similar lines to Capt Claret, but AsA has been jousting at big costly windmills for at least 10 years. The focus of the board and the executive has been on the core business...air traffic control. Ancillary and administrative support: secretarial, HR, book-keeping, R&D, industry consultation, training, PR, documents, mapping and anything else that didn't require an ATC licence or firefighter's certificate, was dumped with great joy and aplomb at the impending climb in the year-end bonus. Some of those requirements diminished as a result, but many of those jobs and responsibilities didn't go away. They just morphed from a secretary doing the work on $40,000 a year and typing at 80 wpm to become the responsibility of a controller on $120,000 a year, taken away from his/her core duties, typing at 35 wpm, wrestling with a computer graphics program, stuffing about with MS PowerPoint, reading self-help books with "for Dummies" in the title and believing written communication and public presentation was so simple that a controller couldn't help but fall into the role of the next Leo Tolstoy.
It's no wonder line controllers had to be promoted. The administrative work wasn't getting done and the wonderful, best-in-their-own-world executive in their insightful collective wisdom couldn't see the forest for the trees and decided simply that more ATC managers would fix the problem. The controllers getting promoted weren't necessarily good managers, but the most adept at sussing out the administrative needs of the new position's supervisor and catering to that need. And the ironic part is that air traffic controllers not only supported this strategy, but actively embraced it. Afterall, the personality and training of an air traffic controller won't let him/her admit that he/she isn't the best person for a "simple" job like typing, or computer graphics, spreadsheet manipulation, document production, making a presentation or managing a division. So a myopic executive devoted to an idealistic view of Nirvana where only ATC's make up the entire public face of AsA, because that equates to their distorted view of maximum efficiency, can't understand why their precious model is not looking so hot. D'uh! :mad: |
And the ironic part is that air traffic controllers not only supported this strategy, but actively embraced it |
Thought that would raise a few hackles, but it's still my opinion.
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No hackles raised here...and everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Doesn't answer the question though. |
Perhaps I should have put "many" between "that" and "air". In my opinion, there appears to be no shortage of ATC willing to get away from the microphone for the opportunity to do something different. And who can blame them? It seems to be possibly the main way to get noticed and advance in the organisation. The good controllers who love their jobs and stay at the mikes seem to be the ones who get passed over and disillusioned at seeing their experience and commitment count for little in an organisation that says those are the qualities it values most, but appears to reward people who show contradictory behaviour.
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Perhaps I should have put "many" between "that" and "air". |
Lodown
Thanks for this 'The focus of the board and the executive has been on the core business...air traffic control.' Had a good chuckle, though events seem to show otherwise. When you have a trainee controller who is struggling, one of the things they tend to do is put off solving the harder conflictions and do what they are comfortable doing. You need to get them to focus on the hard things and use their time wisely to do the time critical actions first and leave the easier chores they are comfortable with til second. After about 18 months in the job Greg Russell stated that when he arrived the financial aspects of ASA were the critical area and that he had put his major efforts into sorting these out. Our core business is ATC and ARFF, I'm not sure what has gone on in the ARFF, but ATC staffing, recruitment and training has definitely NOT been on the agenda. It is well over a couple of years since most ATC have had any simulator emergency training, the College has been gutted, and good luck if you can find the 95 trainees that are supposed to be riding to the rescue this year. Latest from Civilair website today 2 more VR in Sydney today, one early retirement in a week, one more resignation to work OS. |
Trainees
Not sure what you imply when you say that you can find none of the 95 trainees. I am one of the fortunate ones that will be starting next week. Unfortunately it will be some time before I am of any real benefit to you guys at the coal face but I look forward to the day I am. Hope the morale lifts in the interim
:rolleyes: |
Not sure what you imply when you say that you can find none of the 95 trainees. and good luck if you can find the 95 trainees Hope the morale lifts in the interim :rolleyes: |
Hey, given the wonderful performance of the share market since I retired, I've started looking for a job picking up glasses in the pub, but perhaps ASA would like to employ me on a contract basis to sit and play with spreadsheets for twenty hours a week of my own choosing?
I'm sure I could release at least one manager back to operational duties at a fraction of the current price? (Sorry Al, just kidding!) |
And the ironic part is that air traffic controllers not only supported this strategy, but actively embraced it What the hell are you basing that one on? A lot of controllers find it hard to stomach that they don't have the aptitude and ability to perform in non-operational positions... especially leadership positions. But how many of them will compromise their own values... or at least those that they professed to believe in and may have abided by in the past, to achieve that golden "promotion" to a non-operational position with the same or higher salary? The Managers were our brethren controllers... they have come from us. Maybe we should sit down and take a good hard look at ourselves, our work culture, beliefs and values. Because no-one yet amongst us has risen from the ranks and become the Messiah of Air Traffic Control Management... and I seriously doubt that there ever will come a Messiah in Australian Air Traffic Control. So, the next question is... why? |
That's easily answered ...
However, ASA have always tried to mix the gene pool ... doesn't work ... and it's very expensive |
Industrial action
I'm involved with a small RPT carrier operation - should I be worried about a strike or any other kind of industrial action over all this. Would be good to have some advanced notice if there's something on the horizon :eek:
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Strike? Nah! Disruptions and near misses as out-of-practice managers try to get their skills back to speed after years away from the mike to cover for the loss of regular controllers? Maybe...
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I'm involved with a small RPT carrier operation - should I be worried about a strike or any other kind of industrial action over all this. Would be good to have some advanced notice if there's something on the horizon |
I can now say it is an embarrassment to work for ASA as a controller.
I no longer believe the in the bull$hit 'vision' of this organisation. I have no absolutely no confidence in the lieing, deceiptful, greedy ar$ehole that is TFN. I wonder how long it will be before ASA's 'customers' insist on the truth that is the staffing debacle we are experiencing. I wonder how long it will take for Albanese and Rudd to realise that they have been and are being lied to. I wonder how long it will take for a media organisation to have the balls to expose what is really going on in this, one of the most dis-functional organisations I now have the displeasure of working for. To expose the damage this mongrel has done to this organisation. ???????????? |
this idea of renegade controllers is pure BS.
I think Greg Russell is trying to manufacture a scapegoat. As numerous people have pointed out - if there were "renegades" surely this would have been identified, and harsh examples made of. the allegory to all this is the story of an empire/dictatorship VS the rebels. The general populace is punished because they are suspected of harbouring rebels, and pretty soon, if there were no rebels there before, there are now. Don't fall for the trap. don't become a renegade because TFN wants a public scapegoat. it is mismanagement (training) and neglect (less than competive wages) that have led to the staffing problem, along with a stubborn persistence in projects (ALMS, SDE = less qualified controllers available) that have led to the "service interruptions". Nothing else. |
A challenge to Greg Russell, sit in a room with your Lvl3 ATC managers, and ask each individually how many controllers they believe they are short in their area.
"I am manager of X area , I currently need Y controllers". Take their answers as the truth, don't shoot the messenger, and then you will have an idea of where you are really at. Was told by an ALM today,after meeting between ALMs and their Lvl3, they worked out that, just this one area was 10 short. Lvl3 can't understand how this figure of 17 australia wide keeps being bandied about. Greg ask your managers, they know the real figures. Admit you and your upper echelons stuffed it, take real attainable steps to fix it, forecast a realistic timetable to fix it, one that we can believe, because we all have contacts in the College and in recruitment and KNOW if you are lying to save face. Your spin in the media is just that. Do what we have to do, if you make a mistake put your hand up. If you take this course of action, you may find that controllers once again might do, your quoted ,'excessive overtime' to dig us out of your hole. It may be personally distasteful to admit you have got it wrong, but that is the path you will have to tread to get us back on side. We, the controllers, have been told for years 'can you just do more O/T, we have a plan to fix this, we want to give you career breaks,can you do more O/T, we want to let you access your long-service leave, we want you to be able to have a work/life balance,can you do more O/T,we want to be able to offer you career development,we don't want you rotting on one console for twenty years,can you do more O/T, we are building up to an excess of numbers, etc etc'. We have given up believing. Greg, this is exactly what you promised us three years ago, and your predecessors for years before that. 'We just need to get over this hump, after we implement this, once this restructure is in, etc ,etc.' Are you really surprised that we don't believe you, another resignation from Brisbane for Ireland yesterday. 2 VRs, one early retirement and another resignation from Sydney the day before. Some people are taking paycuts just to get out of the toxic environment you have created. Your slander in the press might make you feel better, but if you are trying to fix the problem, you are just making it worse. People will not be continually lied to, your SDE model has some good points and not so good points, it has been floundering for 2 1/2 years now. Controllers have shown since before TAAATS transition(late nineties) that we will adapt and change,we keep moving the aircraft with new procedures, new sectors , new models, new software, new rosters and less staff. SDE has been a lab rat experiment. People have trained and then retrained, got endorsements, had endorsements lapse, been given new airspace, had that airspace taken away. Had new rosters implemented , had those changed , and then changed again. The College has been streamlined (gutted) and now is busy trying to ramp up again. New managers who know nothing about ATC are being brought in ,and bringing their mates along for the ride. Consultants are waltzing in, and tangoing out. You reckon October was when this all ramped up and had something to do with EBA negotiations. BS. Negotiations were not even starting til April. October was when you implemented another management restructure and 100+ controllers with endorsements hung up the headsets and went out the back to work on procedures, rosters, SDE, etc etc. They may still have ATC licences but most haven't spoken to an aircraft since and are no longer endorsed to do so. There are under 800 endorsed ATCs now in Australia, stop quoting 970+.They may still be employed but they don't move planes. Controllers move planes. P.S. Greg, I'd love to see the plan for the 500 trainees you are getting for the next 5 years, something more substantial than a press release, as it is now nearly August and there is still no training plan for the 95 this year and the 100 next year. Seeing you run a monopoly, I wouldn't think it is commercial-in-confidence. It is better to tell the truth, that way you don't have to remember things. |
The Australian July 31, 2008
Air boss blames union for gaps in traffic control THE problems with the nation's air traffic control system are the fault of an industrial campaign, excessive sick leave and an outdated endorsement system rather than staff shortages, the chief executive of Airservices Australia claimed yesterday. Greg Russell told an aviation conference in Sydney there had been only seven incidents where pilots were left flying without air traffic control over 2006 and 2007, years where there were no wage negotiations. But since October last year, there had been more than 140 interruptions to service, with about the same number of air traffic controllers. "You may well ask what's so different in 2008 and I think the answer is pretty obvious," he said. Mr Russell said Airservices was short of about 17 controllers on the basis of "the current inefficient way" it operated. "Is it a critical shortage? No." he said. "But it can sound very persuasive when it's being talked up in a year of wage negotiations." Airservices had a training and recruitment initiative under way "after some years of neglect". But it needed to move ahead with a program to improve the efficiency of airspace management, as well as tackling restrictive union work practices in areas such as rostering and absenteeism, he said. One problem was that 144 separate endorsements were needed to work across the 32 sectors of Australian airspace. |
There's supposed to be a segment about ATC on the ABC "7:30 report", thursday night 31-Jul-08.
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It makes you wonder if or when someone is going to ask him the right questions. Reading his own words, he states there was no "industrial action"/wage negotiation in 2006/2007, yet he says there WERE AIRSPACE CLOSURES in that period. So what were those airpsace closures due to? How can a supposedly well-run, first world ANS provider have ANY airspace closures? If the increasing number of airpsace closures is due to industrial action, why isn't ASA in court? That alone would have to be a massive management failure. If there is unprotected industrial action happening, what is TFN doing to stop it?
It just seems pretty obvious that if airspace closures began happening when the CEO admits there was no industrial campaign, and those closures are increasing, then the reason for them happening in the first place (a lack of staff) is increasing (probably via attrition)- or is that TOO OBVIOUS? :rolleyes: This is "Sunbeam" and Chainsaw Al for any MBA-types, and "NASA" for the safety conscious Someone else mentioned that the CEO must be smarting and on his last legs when he is lashing out like a desperado. Even CASA can't pretend it isnt happening once the coiled-spring that is ICAO is noticing. |
I'm sure I could release at least one manager back to operational duties at a fraction of the current price? (Sorry Al, just kidding!) Then again, how about Unicom operator Prossie? :ok: |
Surely the ASA CEO can't be that stupid. He's a supposed intelligent person and now he's beating up the people whom he is hoping will hold the system together for him:ugh::ugh::ugh:
Ah !:confused: perhaps he isn't so stupid. Standby for conspiracy theory ... Could he be goading the Controllers INTO industrial action ... thereby diverting attention from the real reason that airspace is closing Was that a naughty thing to say := |
Peuce
Take a bikkie from the cookie jar :) |
SDE = Some Dumb-ass Experiment?
All will be fixed! There is a guy (one) going back (southerly outlook) who has been out of it for 5 years. He gets 4 days of simulator sessions.:eek: So really, AsA will be only 16 short now!:( |
from what i saw on the abc, when GR took over 3 years ago he found no plan in place for future recruitment, a plan is now in place (3 years later) which will start to take affect in 2011. so if i heard correctly, GR is not exactly a rocket surgeon or at least not in any kind of a hurry.
many years since i last saw PM on t.v. or anywhere else. hardly recognised him without the floormop on his head. |
effing politicians
Seems like Minister Albanese (coincidentally my federal member), is only hearing (or has been briefed on) one side of the whole sorry story of the worldwide ATCO shortage and the focus on short-term financial returns and the lack of realistic long-term planning.
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It seems so. especially as the contradictions keep mounting up....
"GREG RUSSELL: When I arrived, one of the things that I asked to see was a current workforce plan, a plan that told us where our problem areas were. No such plan existed. We didn't think about the future. We didn't plan for it. And we're now in better shape." So, he didnt know when he arrived...and what has he done about it since finding out (since he previously admitted there has been TIBA events going back to 2006)?.... He has made a plan!!! And the plan is........"For now, Air Services is trying desperately to remain upbeat, adamant the immediate shortfall should be fixed next month with 17 new recruits." Yet..."But the first bumper class of graduates won't be ready for work until 2011" So the plan, as advised so far, is to increase the staff numbers...in 2011. hehehe, that is, of course, if he retains the current staff......"The union warns that unless salaries are hiked up a whopping 30 per cent, on par with their international colleagues, there'll be a further exodus of staff." So whats the plan there.....? Or will your replacement, Greg, be telling us he wasnt aware that there was a global demand for his renegades? And that he needs to make a plan?:cool: |
PETER MCGUANE: They're not easy jobs reforming organisations like this. I don't think I fully understood just how difficult it could be some days, but nevertheless, there is a way through this. Full video of the story also available at The 7.30 Report - ABC |
"Famous Last Words".........
'G.R.' courtesy of ABC 31/7/08.
"But nevertheless, there is a way through this........" From that well known expression...'Please Explain??':confused::confused: Cheers to all... |
Then again, how about Unicom operator Prossie? |
We have 753 talking to and moving aluminium types. Where did the missing controllers go?
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So there's a sick-out is there?
You are therefore implying fraud are you? Well why don't you do your duty as a CEO and prosecute you spinele$$ prick? You are deluded if you think come December that it will be a sick-out that forms our industrial action. All it will take is the ceasing of all OT. I think we all know what's coming. It's time for all the older heads to start preparing our younger colleagues for December. Come December, you will pay mate! A bloke can only take so many insults, especially when they are lies. |
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