Today’s action was not about 6% – there’s a Labour Court hearing about the 6% next week; repeat this is not about a 6% pay claim.
This is about 14 ATCOs suspended without pay. We have asked the IAA, as has the Labour Court, to reinstate the ATCOs and 286 ATCOs would resume normal work and no closures would be needed. The IAA has refused the Labour Courts offer on the basis that the controllers would have to work as directed; which would be unacceptable if they then also refused to talk; which the IAA has no intent on doing.
The ATCOs won’t return to work as directed against the IMPACT directive, made to encourage discussion; the IAA won’t talk.
The IMPACT directive issued in response to changed work practices, new procedures and concerns about safety. The directive applied from 1 January 2010. Some of these projects such as COOPANS is a long-term project and some ATCOs have been working on this project for over 12 months; however the time to talk about the effect of this new technology is upon us. There was a very unfruitful LRC last Thursday about project work and the directive effecting it; the IAA representatives told the LRC they had no authority to act, so why were they there?
The IAA suspended 14 controllers without following their own disciplinary processes; no warnings verbal or otherwise were issued. Today’s meeting was all about why this has happened and the need to get the 14 ATCOs (and the next wave due next week, aren’t suspended) back on the payroll first.
We would also like the IAA to talk to us about the changes; nothing more.
At the meeting I attended today there was unanimous support for further action for only one reason, to get the suspended ATCOs back on the books; so unless the IAA steps back and changes its decision it may get much worse than today’s 4 hour stoppage.
Repeat today’s stoppage was nothing to do with the 6% T16 agreement, nor the proposed changes to the pension scheme; those events are coming up soon though.