Air Traffic Control Issues

[Viridis]

An Australian-domiciled pilot said to me a couple of weeks ago 'there's an element of CFMEU-style tactics in what the Sydney air traffic controllers are doing'.

Sickies appear to peak on Fridays and Saturdays, and during school holidays. Amazing.

No one denies controlling aircraft must be a very stressful, fast paced job. I once worked with a male who was bright, but had applied and been rejected because he couldn't get his head around the multiple types of separation he needed to be able to process.

However many other jobs are arguably equally stressful: paramedics, surgeons, emergency department nurses, train controllers, firemen at times, police, dangling 140 metres above sea level from the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne to remove graffiti painted by Pam The Bird, crane operators on building sites, heavy vehicle and freight train drivers to name a few.

These people signed up for very well remunerated positions in Sydney yet their taking sickies (of which they have an unlimited number available each year) is hugely disadvantaging passengers, some of whom miss international connections as a result, and causing airlines to waste fuel. On occasion, restricted numbers of movements beyond hourly and quarter hour movement limitations may see airline crews having to spend an overnight away from where their roster says they should be.

What justification is for these 'protected species' of ATCs to receive unlimited annual sick leave? I don't know of any other occupation at non-management level that allows this.

There seems to be quite a few defamatory assumptions in these comments masquerading as fact

An Australian-domiciled pilot said to me a couple of weeks ago 'there's an element of CFMEU-style tactics in what the Sydney air traffic controllers are doing'.

Sickies appear to peak on Fridays and Saturdays, and during school holidays. Amazing.

An Australian domiciled pilot approaches this from a particular perspective, not least being that they are more frequently exposed to the consequences of ATC shortages than you or I.

No one denies controlling aircraft must be a very stressful, fast paced job. I once worked with a male who was bright, but had applied and been rejected because he couldn't get his head around the multiple types of separation he needed to be able to process.

However many other jobs are arguably equally stressful: paramedics, surgeons, emergency department nurses, train controllers, firemen at times, police, dangling 140 metres above sea level from the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne to remove graffiti painted by Pam The Bird, crane operators on building sites, heavy vehicle and freight train drivers to name a few.

Perhaps, but the potential consequences of one (!) misjudgement by ATC is 800 fatalities.

These people signed up for very well remunerated positions in Sydney yet their taking sickies (of which they have an unlimited number available each year) is hugely disadvantaging passengers, some of whom miss international connections as a result, and causing airlines to waste fuel. On occasion, restricted numbers of movements beyond hourly and quarter hour movement limitations may see airline crews having to spend an overnight away from where their roster says they should be.

I would argue, given the responsibility, that ATCs are, in fact, underpaid. The fact is, that like most employees, their role is viewed as a 'cost' to the business that must be minimised. This is different to the logic which is used to remunerate anyone from CEOs to bond traders who are considered to 'generate revenue' and so can be paid in the tens of millions. But without ATCs there would be no air navigation charge revenues and landing fees etc in the same way that there would be no passengers without pilots, train drivers and bus drivers. The whole system of valuing and rewarding work is completely broken .... but I digress.

How do you know they are taking 'sickies'? What evidence do you have? As far as i am concerned they are reporting sick/unfit for duty. And I would much rather that be the case if they are controlling a flight that I am on

As for crews getting disrupted? That is the safe outcome. Staff in safety critical roles (in this case ATC & Pilots) can have no regard for the consequences of their decisions, the people on aeroplanes etc - and how others will be impacted - they must choose the safest outcome; and if that means reporting unfit for duty, then ... tough.

What justification is for these 'protected species' of ATCs to receive unlimited annual sick leave? I don't know of any other occupation at non-management level that allows this.

What you have to ask is not, why ATCs have these provisions conferred upon them, but why others don't? Do you want your surgeon operating on you when s/he's sick or otherwise distracted or has worked 36hrs straight (it happened); or even your fund manager investing your Superannuation when they are unwell/exhausted? It's macho nonsense to power-on when you're knackered because your performance & decision making degrades - fact. Aviation is as safe as it is because it leads the world in this thinking. That knowledge is being sought by other industries and passed on. We will all be dead one day and our employers will get on just fine without us despite our pretentions otherwise.

 

[Viridis]

Unfortunately, sick leave provision is often abused. It's meant for genuine illness, not just because an employee wants to take a day off.

Evidence??

 

[AuSammy]

It certainly isn't a widespread practice by any means.

Unfortunately, sick leave provision is often abused. It's meant for genuine illness, not just because an employee wants to take a day off.

Some jobs requiring shift work see employees swapping hours or days of work with colleagues.

Try certain health funds, banks, insurance companies, tech companies, communication companies, mining companies.

These companies have found by experience that an annual cap makes people feel entitled to take sickies to the limit or “lose it”. Remove the cap and give the manager discretion and you built a trust level that if I am genuinely sick my manager will approve it. There is no longer a target to take off or lose it. It’s no longer an award entitlement but a health benefit.

In the years after introduction in one firm i worked for and got access to the stats, sickleave claims dropped quite dramatically.

 

[Forg]

NT police get unlimited sick leave

Expletivey Hell you’d want all sorts of mental-health time just living up there, let alone dealing with the … rule-applicability-believers up there!

 

[Melburnian1]

An Australian domiciled pilot approaches this from a particular perspective, not least being that they are more frequently exposed to the consequences of ATC shortages than you or I.

Australian-domiciled pilots are in a very good position to know what's actually going on, because they have access to a wide range of individuals who work in aviation.