The primary focus of managing the business is in the area of attendance.
The inference therefore must be there is a significant problem with attendance. But what are the facts? Excluding long term sick-leave (3 months +) the average sick leave in the centres is 11 days per annum, slightly higher in Sydney and much lower in regional towers and the outer TCUs/TWRs.
This compares to other public service roles and those other roles do not work 24/7/365 shift work. HARDLY 4 times the national average, Julian, you've been sold a pup!
Is our sick leave too high? Well yes, in some cases there is leave taking which could be inferred as "abuse of leave"; but the problem we have is the way that all ATCs are targeted with the same managerial plan. Rather than address the individuals that abuse leave entitlements; they sweep everyone into the ‘problem bucket’ and punish us all. So because we don’t have managers that can sort out staffing issues, we need broad brush policies and practices. Leaders leading, ha, not likely, fools reacting, yes that’s closer.
Sick Leave cap.
Well you can’t buy what we have now, so can we sell it? What value would you really place on introducing a cap. Ask anyone struck down with an immediate issue, such as cancer or a heart attack, how much value they place on sick leave as required.
We have heard some managers say that they could still approve sick leave payments for legitimate issues, inference, current sick leave is not legitimate.
Can you get ‘income protection' as an Air Traffic Controller? No, is the simple answer, so if you can’t insure yourself against a long term illness and the employer won’t pay you if you get sick, what exactly will we do to protect ourselves, yes the fog is clearing, KEEP SICK LEAVE AS REQUIRED; don't touch it!
What if we conceded to a maximum of 7 days without certificate, with no restriction on leave with certificate? Yes we'll give you that for $15K each on base pay, seems fair given that we currently run at 30+ days each (well according the J.McGauran) of illegitimate leave, and it would comply the governments Enterprise Bargaining Framework, productivity initiatives for more pay.
Non Operational Duty.
We have higher standards than the general community relating to health and fitness when performing the task of ATC. We cannot take many readily available over the counter drugs and ‘soldier on’, etc. So what should we do?
Airshambles seems to believe that ATCs don’t do enough non operational shifts, when they have a head cold, have a migraine, etc, when they have taken codeine, pseudoephedrine or similar drugs.
Well there are a number of reasons why we avoid non operational work, most come back to management. What does a non-operational controller do? Plenty, if you have an admin portfolio or the like, not much if you are simply a ‘tools man’, filing paperwork is not legitimate work for non operational ATCs. Most ATCs are paid to do operational work only, pity that's not always possible.
Then what shift are you working during your non-operational day at work, as rostered or something else. Most controllers organise their lives around their shift work, to change your shift at short notice to ‘work non-operational duty’ it may have a significant effect on your outside of work life; the work life balance. This isn’t always the case, but try telling a manager that you’ll be in for non-operational duty from 10-17 vice your 06-13 shift and you’ll be meet with a WTF response; why?
What if you are fatigued for your 0600 shift. You could work later in the day after you get sleep, damn that work life balance, already organised things with the accountant/doctor/kids/wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/principal etc. so can’t do that; is it fraudulent leave? No it’s legitimate as long as you did all you could to reduce your fatigue prior to ‘taking the knock’. If you can do for example an afternoon vice a morning, to manage your illness, in this case, fatigue, will they let you?
So we are sure that more people would attend non-operational duty if there was true flexibility, and a method of assigning something worthy to do on said shifts. Management is 100% responsible for not developing any value adding non-operational tasks and then they further exacerbate the issue by not allowing some shift flexibility if you can't front for the shift as rostered.
Of course their concern is that if you can change shifts on a whim, without penalty, why would you ever work a doggo?
Did anyone else notice the line that ‘there is an obligation to work reasonable additional hours’? Why slip this into the ‘sick leave’ section?
The current rule states:
4.3.1 We expect that you will work a reasonable amount of additional hours if the requirement becomes necessary. You may choose not to work additional hours in circumstances where the working of such hours would result in you working hours which are unreasonable after consideration of:
(a) Any risk to your health and safety;
(b) Your personal circumstances including any family responsibilities;
(c) The needs of the workplace;
(d) The notice given by us and by you of your intention to choose not to work the additional
hours; and
(e) Any other relevant matter.
Consultation:
We think this means Airshambles wants the right to do whatever they want, the consultation clauses make it very inconvenient for us when staff point out that consultation is required as per the agreement. How many times have they been caught out not consulting; more than they have done it right in the first place.
Part 7:
They want to reduce (clarify/simplify) your entitlements relating to ‘Discipline, Redeployment and Termination of Employment’. We assume this means that they want to impose more restructures and not be caught out by possible redundancy provisions; like during the ALM debacle; there are still some ATCs waiting AIRC advice about their entitlements. We also suspect that they want to be able more readily able to sack employees that have disciplinary issues, these existing processes are very restrictive on their ability to be complete arse-holes.
Grievances:
Airshambles obviously doesn’t understand what the current grievance system is. The paragraph they have written is exactly what the current process is, idiots.
Sustaining Capability (you’re joking right?)
Air Traffic Control is a great place to work and is able to maintain capability within the global marketplace. Oh please! We have the lowest morale ever, you need to fix it, you need to relax terms and conditions and be less focused on 'fraud' and more focused on the individual.
How about starting with paying global rates and recognising that working 24/7/365 is difficult. How about not standing people down for every little irrelevant event, how about recognising that our safety culture is primarily a box ticking exercise. How about giving something back? How about tapping someone on the shoulder and saying go home, you've done a good days work?
Airshambles now wants ‘flexibility’ in recleave; but wait they wanted the 18 month rolling plans so they could be better informed about operational training requirements and sustaining capability. This was a pillar of the Airshambles position in 2002. Well which is it? Locking in things so you can plan, or needing flexibility cause you can’t organise a beer in a brew house?
Methods of retaining ATCs, SHOW ME THE MONEY JERRY! Do we smell individual contracts?
Career development, blah blah, how about sticking to something? Management training, how many processes in the last 5 years, leaders leading, cert IVs in frontline management etc.
Less CBT, real training courses, real refresher training, movement between ATC roles, now that’s development, reduce change, INFORMATION OVERLOAD LEADS TO MANAGEMENT ARSE COVERING AND INCREASED RISK!
Career Break scheme options - is that a carrot? You can’t be trusted, we know that in 5 years time we will still be short and you know it, you can give us all you want when we have full staffing, not in the three years of the next agreement. Next move on, no wait that’s it.
Airshambles, we here at the shafters are very unimpressed by your first effort, F, go back to your desk do better next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment