Who said anything about unpaid? I'm talking about people being there before the tower opens. But most of the guys i work with are 10 minutes early, unpaid.

So you're saying that ASA pays you to be there 30 minutes before opening? :D :} porky alert.

So, 10 mins early on top of 30 minutes paid = 40 mins? ;)

Maybe some people just like to be early 🤷‍♂️

Why does shift start time have to coincide with tower opening time?
Does a chef turn up to his kitchen at the time the doors open or before so they are ready to serve customers when the door opens?
Does a bank teller not count their drawer until the doors open and they have a line of customers in front of them?
Is it such a difficult concept to understand that people actually start work before they start providing the service they provide?

Like a flight crew turning up for work at published departure time?

After all, pilots just jump in their aircraft and fly don't they?

Uhhhmmm, what I'm saying is, ASA do not roster an ATC to start 30 mins prior to tower open time. I'm also saying that if an ATC is not rostered to be there 30 mins prior to open time, that they won't be in the tower 30 mins early to catch up with what's going on on the aerodrome. Old mate's experience, the ATC probably had a poor night's sleep and thought **** it, nothing else to do :E

Some do that.

No idea whats rostered, but having spent significant time in the old GAAPs, you'd see people in the tower at least 15 minutes before opening, I do remember CASA doing audits of CTAF issues pre-tower hours, sitting in the tower up to an hour early.. Whether they were prepping consoles, unpacking breakfast, warming up the kettle and toasty machine I have no real idea, I never asked, was pretty customary in the old days to be a few minutes early for work lest you get management breathing down your neck and docking pay. Even when I did factory work you'd have a mob hanging a round outside a few minutes early for shift swap, didn't want to punch in late and miss a $, usually a smoke and shoot **** with mates, nothing work related.

I assume then if ATC happened to be making a jaffle and latte and see/hear a situation developing they might say something informal to help out.

Well that was a quick excursion from the topic! :}

So in your vast experience in ATC, what time do we get rostered to start work prior to tower opening?

A mate of a mate of a mate works in ATC ;)

At a cop shop you need to be dressed (which you have to do at work) kitted up with all your daily issued gear like torch, gun and spray and be ready for the crap to hit the fan and walk out the door to a job a 7:00am if that is your start time. That whole prep process can take a while if everyone else is clocking off at the same time.