A Vision - Part 1

We applaud loudly the effort made by the representatives of the staff.  We boo loudly the lip service, attitude and general demeanour displayed by the employers representatives at the first meeting of the parties.

The first meeting, held approximately 3 weeks late, usually a scoping and planning meeting, reached no outcomes or even a timetable for progress.

One thing is clear to us at the Shafters, Airservices will scurry hide and be loose with the truth when it comes to negotiating in good faith.  No doubt we will be ‘surfaced’ as an example of why the union isn’t acting in good faith.  We'll say it again, we have no ties to the union, or any of the unions elected delegates.

We are few of number, but we are passionate in our beliefs. We believe that enterprise bargaining matters, that sharing profits is the best measure of and ultimately the beast means toward affordability of pay rises.

We firmly believe that there is no true mechanism for working out ATC productivity.  More traffic moved and less bodies doing it is one measure, safety outcomes another, costs vs revenue another, available work hours, amount of TIBA/TRA use; We're sure there are many others. 

All productivity measures are a balance or ratio of staff to traffic; too few staff will greatly effect the available work hours and safety outcomes and the amount or TIBA/TRA, too many staff will effect the traffic vs bodies argument and cost vs revenue.

But how do management decisions adversely effect productivity?  We have seen the most significant change to the ATC structure in the last 3 years since Sir Winston Churchill said “Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never. Never -- in anything great or small, large or petty -- never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense”.   

All this under the tutelage of Greg Russell CEO.  This is the restructure “that we had to have”.  To position ourselves as a viable business in the future, to be able to adapt to new technology and to better organise the management to staff ratios and improve communication, remember we asked for it, to improve morale.  Don’t be fooled, a “bloody good pay rise” will do nothing for morale.

The repositioning was underpinned by the cornerstone called SDE.  It had an accompanying management structure comprising the ALM (AWA) process.  This has led to multiple redundancies at a time when we are ‘critically’ short staffed.  Management has argued that the redundancies were ‘unforeseeable’, despite alleged internal legal advice saying they would have to pay redundancies, despite the union and vocal employees stating that you will trigger redundancy pay-outs in this restructure.  

There is a case currently before AIRC, with a decision pending and imminent, where by more Air Traffic Controllers are seeking redundancy due to not being offered suitable redeployment caused by this management restructure again, all at a time when we are ‘critically short’.

We have now learned that in attempt to better control absenteeism which is ‘escalating’ that admin staff are now longer to take the calls of controllers calling in sick.  You will be redirected (or call directly when they move the phone) to the Operations Director, who presumably, will be able to tell if you are or aren’t genuinely sick, from that phone call, or perhaps you will just be too intimidated to call in sick if the Operations Director takes the call.

Then if you do manage to call in sick, you brave soldier you, you will be called by your ALM to ensure that there is nothing more that can be done to get you on your feet quicker; did someone say unreasonable intimidation?  Perhaps this strategy will have an adverse effect and make you feel worse or actually make you seek medical advice and take a few extra days than you otherwise would have had, on the direction of that medical advice.

Back to SDE, well a more rushed half arsed product you will never find.  Multiple resources absorbed into effectively duplicating roles and duties; cutting edges on maps, realigning sector boundaries with great aplomb, positioning ourselves to be better able to adapt to new technology.  When is this new technology going to be available?  Why rush into SDE?  Why waste resources right now; well it suited the political ideology at the time.

Were there warning signs that the pace was too fast, well you'd have to be blind Freddy not to have noticed.  Did this information get put to the Main War Room, of course it did, proceed plebs get on with it was the message from the Master don't bring us problems bring us solutions.

The cost, bad, bad, bad PR and a devastating effect on morale. 

99 out of 100 operational controllers in our quick survey, see no benefit in SDE right now, or in the next 2 years; only 17 saw a benefit of some description after 5 years (if all the technology works).  So why rush, because we could and we did.