Application made

Again we’ve been quiet.  Why?  Well there’s been so little to say, without providing the industrialist from HR at ASA with more fodder for the eventual AIRC hearings; which now are surely to come.

We have seen recent media scrutiny about the way ASA runs it’s accounts, loading up with debt in a times of a credit crisis, simply to ensure payment of a dividend which the government (the owner) doesn’t demand.  We wonder where the “Delaware deal” is now, what is the true state of the bonus payments required, what is the effect of those payments now with the AUD in the toilet again? 

We have seen the inevitable occur, as predicted, Civil Air has now filed for a Protected Bargaining Period, a time where they can ask the members what industrial action they’d like to pursue to improve their strength at the bargaining table.

But will it improve anything?  Will the employer get the backing of the owner and the press run some stories of effected passengers standing in non moving check-in line; crying about missing granny’s funeral or the kids not getting home in time for school (lucky buggers).

The answer is of course the media love to hate a bad guy; so any form of industrial action will put you down on the bad guy side of the ledger.

Why would Australia’s ATCs want a better deal?

The current (sick, vomit, spew) offer, has a reduction in real terms and conditions on the table.

Not bad considering that the employees entered negotiations with a vision document which sought to address the difference in the global market and what we are currently on, bring us in line with the local employment market and really make ASA an employer of choice, unlike the clap trap they claim on paper. Employer of choice, our arse it is!

The employer has ‘offered’ a reduction in real wages, ie less than CPI, no recognition of the staffing crisis, no improved starting salary, no bonuses (except the flakey 5% that no one will qualify for) and to get all that controllers must surrender their entitlements particularly those relating to sick leave, the headline point.

Currently controllers have access to “Sick leave as Required” (not unlimited)...   This is a very good thing for both sides, it ensures that people who have statutory obligations about their requirements to report for duty in a fit state have no fear about not getting paid if they don’t go to work; plus it stops the spreading of community diseases in the very small community that is ATC, colds and flu, gastro etc.

The employer has offered a cap of 15 days leave, a figure nearly double that of the current ATC average sick leave in a 24/7/365 work environment (when you exclude long term illnesses).  15 days isn't bad unless you bust the cap... Then what, go to work sick or tired or something else in order to secure your bags of silver and gold, or stay at home and reduce your take home pay.  The concept is still very grey between 15 days and 28 days leave...

The employer has stated that genuinely sick people will get looked after, but the implication is that if you currently use more than 15 days, without a major accident or event such as cancer, you aren’t genuinely ill.  This is a ridiculous premise.

In 2008, some employees of ASA worked in excess of 60 shifts of Overtime.  Such is the reliance on Overtime.  The current West Radar roster has 50+ shifts of overtime to split between 21 people in 6 weeks; before there is any “abuse” of sick leave, yet there is no staffing crisis, awsure!  Is there more than a causal link between sick leave and overtime?

The pressures of the CASRs are real, the employee who reports for duty fatigued because they don’t want to push their leave cap, won’t be less productive pushing paper or may make minor mistakes that will get picked up by the editor, or need to go for a walk in the daylight to recharge the batteries, any controller turning up to work fatigued has the real ability to endanger the public by putting planes closer together than they should be.

The employer has form regarding covering someone in the event of an accident.  They do whatever they can to reduce their own liability, if that means hanging the employee then they do it; very recent experiences have highlighted this.

Imagine if the controllers in the recent coronial enquiring stated they had worked 13 of the last 15 days leading up to the accident and had only had 4 hours sleep before reporting for duty; do you think that angle may have been explored by the council assisting the coroner?  

Do you think the employer would have been in their defending the controllers or simply producing the FAID reports saying there is no issues as 80 was never busted, if the controllers were fatigued they shouldn't have been at work?

If the controllers don’t have the right to protect themselves then who protects the public from the consequences of unsafe work practices? Is it likely that the employer would ask are we asking too much, nope less than 80 on FAID = green light!  Over 80, green light after some mirror work.

Enough about sick leave, lets talk about the $$$.

The current Australian agreement has effectively 13 bands (with minor variations); that’s 15 years from entering employment to get to the top salary, if you tick all the right boxes for your annual increment advancement which is now at the behest of your manager; many people are getting restricted, some now even for being involved in incidents, such is the no blame culture.

The current ASA conditions are incredibly uncompetitive in the global market. Hong Kong currently pays double what Australians get with lots less tax and living allowances to offset the costs of living in HK; Germany is offering 110,000 Euros with effectively the same costs of living, Ireland is offering a similar amount to Germany.  All these places are recruiting Australians as we write.

Then there is the Middle East, which will expanding even in the reducing global economy; the new UAE centre (Abu Dhabi) will be demanding extra controllers to meet it’s expanded role in the through put of traffic. Dubai will be expanding within months with the opening of Jebal Ali (or Dubai World Central) airport, which will be the largest airport in the world and be ever building to Atlanta type movement rates; Muscat and Bahrain always looking for experienced people.  

The grass in the middle east might be somewhat sandier, but the pay is effectively double (or more) with no Taxation so in essence at least a 3 fold increase in the take home pay; all the while living expenses in the UAE in particular have reduced in recent times.  The Middle East will be chasing people by the middle to end of the year, Australia will be a significant poaching ground as we have a very good reputation for producing competent controllers.

But the number one reason why people will leave Australia, is respect.  The employer has taken significant advantage of their employment power, to the point where most people now passionately dislike working for Airservices Australia.  Whilst leaving home and Australia isn’t a viable option for a lot of people, there has been a significant shift in the attitudes of many in recent months.  If there were valid options for alternate ATC employment in Australia, numbers would have left already.

This so called ‘informal industrial action’ taken by a few employees has tainted the whole workforce; the tainting has been a broad brush approach towards all employees by the CEO, the Board, and now of late the minister and CASA. The CEO choosing to publicly bash the entire workforce has backfired, it didn't motivate these rouges to change course, it put the entire workforce onto the same path or sticking together to fight the common enemy, Greg Russell and the ASA Board.

The fact that 20-30 people (or around 4% of the workforce) refusing to work overtime can cripple the nations system speaks volumes about how poorly managed ASA is. Why can’t people choose not to work overtime, surely it should be sufficient to work your rostered hours; in a properly run business it would be.

We would suggest that the crippling is conveniently blamed on the 4% of people not working OT; when often the service disruptions are now where need these so called rouges.  The projects such as SDE and the ALM debacle of removing operational ratings have had a much broader effect, one which isn't recognised at all by these piss weak managers; from Level 4 to level 1; you're all guilty of the cover-up.  The controllers are aggrieved because they told management in no uncertain terms that SDE would waste resources and with proper resourcing, which was never gong to eventuate, the ALM process was unnecessary and dangerous for long term coverage, not to mention staff welfare and management relations.

When CASA and the minister back the corporate rhetoric it not only highlights further the incompetence of management, to spin such a BS story, but it exacerbates the conflict between management and operational staff.  The vast majority of staff are still working overtime, unreasonable amounts, and thus become increasingly disengaged and what an even better outcome from the ‘negotiations’ are retribution for the lies being told.

Over the last 10 years the gap between ATC wages growth and AWOTE is ever growing, the ATCs are falling further behind the average punter at the same time being required to give up conditions of employment to secure this less than AWOTE advancement.

Productivity by any measure is up up up, but recognition of funding of pay through productivity is all but non existent.  Failure to pay while the sun shone should and does deserve no recognition of possible reductions in growth.  If the wealth was shared then fair enough to share the pain, but alas there has been no sharing.

Conditions of employment currently being required to be surrendered don’t represent value for money.  To take 16% of conditions for 4.1% pay isn’t fair and isn’t reflected in community standards as a fair deal.

We are truly sorry it has come to this, alas, it will be a national stoppage or similar action that will focus their attention; the government may choose to take some action to prevent this occurring but to what end, to stop and further alienate the workforce; they’d be better off publicly stating that the controllers deserve more pay and push their employer into giving it to them.

Machines and projects “that go ping” will not revolutionalise the ATC world.

Dear Greg and the Board, make a decent and fair offer soon, or we will be at war, again, and your messages of "piss and wind" will be forever lasting as nothing more.