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Days of Darkness?The end of the year marks a significant time for much of the world's population. In northern climes the solstice marks the depth of winter and the slow celestial journey back towards spring and new life. You may know that December 21 marks the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere. Our day is longest and the night shortest. Regardless of religion most people reflect upon the year that has been and look with hope towards the year to come. There is also hope in our future, however difficult it may seem to see where that lies. Yesterday December 21st, marked the expiry of the Certified Agreement 2005-2008 (Air Traffic Control and Supporting Air Traffic Services) without agreement being reached upon terms and conditions for a new collective agreement. I would like to thank the negotiating team on your behalf. They have not failed you. Throughout their hard work across 2007 and 2008 developing our position, 8 months of negotiation (well we were ready) and many meetings, they have continuously represented your interests in negotiation with an employer that appears to have failed to adequately recognise your resolve and more importantly value. So on December 22 with no agreement in place where are we? There has been a significant amount of work across the many detailed areas that make up a complete agreement. Much has been resolved and a table of relative positions on matters can be viewed on the Civil Air website. Despite protestations from Airservices that Civil Air has failed to move on anything we have met and resolved many matters but there are areas on which our relative positions are still significantly apart. I would remind members that these areas are the same areas in which Airservices has demonstrated little, if any, movement. For Airservices to claim that we have failed to move is very much the pot calling the kettle black. The remaining matters represent considerable hurdles but we are still willing to negotiate in the hope that a breakthrough will allow a negotiated position to be reached. So, for now, the conditions of the 2005 - 2008 agreement continue to apply. New POR rosters have commenced nationally with expiry of all Facilitative Arrangements on Sunday last. This is no doubt painful in many locations but there are people who have benefitted by virtue of additional staff being added to rosters. Unfortunately, despite all assurances that the staffing problems are fixed, there simply aren't enough bodies to resolve the issues everywhere. Rosters are still being published with significant quantities of empty shifts and the holes are being plugged by virtue of cannibalisation of check, project, training, admin and procedures shifts to an extent that leaves the system seriously under supported in these vital roles. Even then significant overtime to fill the remainder still leaves gaps in operational coverage. Today divisional meetings were conducted around the nation to brief you on the latest position of both Airservices, with a verbal offer to be examined in some detail at future negotiation meetings, and Civil Air in respect of options available to the Association in respect of pursuit of our collective claims. Your responses from these meetings appear to be remarkably consistent and it is clear that your resolve to achieve a fair outcome from negotiations is steadfast. This will communicated directly to Airservices in upcoming negotiation. So as 2008 draws to a close I'd ask you to consider what we have achieved together. Focus not so much on the negatives. There are always plenty of those and the challenge is to try and move towards a positive 2009 and beyond. Whilst things may seem bleak there is opportunity here for each of us to make a difference not only in our own future, but also in the future of those to follow. There are still challenging times ahead. When is it ever not so? Together we are equal to those challenges and hopefully we can resolve the agreement negotiations in a manner that does not further damage the relationship between employer and employee. The relationship must be fixed in the near future to ensure a future at all. You are doing your best, now it's time for Airservices to step up to the mark. On behalf of the staff, officials and members that make up Civil Air I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year. If you have to work please accept my thanks on behalf of the thousands of Australians that rely absolutely on the professionalism and skills you demonstrate day and night all year round to ensure their safe, orderly and expeditious travel. Most of them have no real understanding if we collectively achieve but unrecognised does not mean without value, particularly at this time of year. If you are able to be with friends and family, relish the time with them. You won't die wishing you'd spent more time worrying about work. Robert Mason |