Minister urges end to controllers' pay row as airlines get nervous
Steve Creedy, Aviation writer | February 02, 2009
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24994047-5013871,00.html
TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Albanese has urged air traffic controllers and Airservices Australia to resolve their long-running pay dispute as airlines become increasingly nervous about potentially crippling industrial action.
The air traffic controllers union, Civil Air, and Airservices Australia have postponed talks scheduled for tomorrow and airlines worried about costly flight disruptions are lobbying Mr Albanese.
Regional airlines are particularly concerned that industrial action would have a devastating impact on a sector of the industry already struggling because of the economic downturn.
But your number 1 support (sic) Airservices are taking a tough stand in your interests...
Regional Aviation Association of Australia chief executive, Paul Tyrrell said member airlines were writing to Mr Albanese seeking a quick resolution to the dispute. Mr Tyrrell said the timing could not be worse, given the economic situation.
"We're not taking sides, we're not party to the details of the dispute and neither do we want to be," Mr Tyrrell said. "But my board has spoken to me and the unequivocal position is a timely resolution.
Then indicate to Airservices and the minister that paying (insert figure)% more for ATS is acceptable; so far your charges have been reduced in real terms over the last 10 years, all the while so to the controllers wages and there has been a massive increase in profitability of Airservices in terms of tax and dividend returned to the government, somethings got to give...
"These guys all get paid no matter how long this conflict goes on, our members don't and it hurts them."
ah, well no! If controller takes industrial action, they won't be getting paid...
Civil Air has been given permission to ballot its members on industrial action and will be in a position to start an industrial campaign towards the end of this month.
The action is unlikely to be a full-blown strike but could involve either rolling stoppages or an overtime ban. Either of those options have the potential to seriously disrupt air travel.
This is the crux of the problem, an overtime ban will criple the service, such is the reliance on overtime, the short staffing bubble has burst, it's now a crisis, acknowledged or not... We were supposed to be fully staffed by August, how many people were we short in June when this month was picked, how many short now? No closer at all, amazing!
Major carriers have also expressed deep concerns about the dispute and have told The Australian they have been lobbied by Airservices to become a party to the dispute in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
But the airlines are reluctant to get directly involved and want Mr Albanese to act.
The Transport Minister yesterday stopped short of promising direct intervention but urged the parties to find a solution.
You gutless prick, it could easily be resolved by telling the Board to open the purse strings, and to fix the staffing problems... Pay less in dividends, spend it on the staff... That is the only solution!
"I urge the parties to resolve the outstanding issues, particularly given the current global economic situation and the fact the aviation industry supports more than half a million Australian jobs," Mr Albanese said.
Then BIG TONY, you know what the answer is... It's not ROCKET SCIENCE!!!
Civil Air executive secretary Peter McGuane said the meeting scheduled for tomorrow had been postponed and the parties were setting up a new date.
He said the major sticking point in a resolution remained sick leave but disagreements also remained about rostering.
Air traffic controllers want to retain unlimited sick leave, arguing they are on a 24-hour roster and have to meet higher health standards than other members of the community.
Or another way to look at it, don't offer us less than CPI rises to give up this condition of employment, for us, not for sale at any price, but to give it up for NOTHING is completely unacceptable!
There has also been a disagreement on pay increases but both parties are understood to have been willing to negotiate on that matter and there has been some movement towards reaching a pay deal.
Airservices wants to limit sick leave to 15 days, saying this would bring it into line with other government organisations. Mr McGuane said the ballot, which was being conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission, was due to finish on February 11.
Yes all those other 24/7/365 government departments that are subject to federal legislation about their obligations to attend work unimpaired, right?
Assuming there was a strong endorsement of industrial action, he said the union would then be required to give seven working days' notice before it could begin.
He believed there would have to be some sort of outside intervention if the dispute were to be resolved.
But Greg Russell promised a quick CA process and a Bloody Good Pay-Rise, do you mean he's a lying C|_|nt?
