Reality Bites (The Writing on the Wall Pt2)

(First Published April 2006)

 It appears that some people may have misread the last article on this topic as celebrating the loss of staff as Greg Russell continues to excise what he believes are unnecessary positions throughout the organisation. In fact my intent was completely the opposite. My concern lies in members thinking that the restructure doesn’t really affect us and perhaps thinking that we’re not next. At the moment 10 of 11 divisions are undergoing significant structural change and “right-sizing”. To assume that Air Traffic Control as a division will be exempt seems foolhardy at best... 

Whether it be one of our members facing LOEQ or contract admin staff being told that the organisation doesn’t think it needs them anymore, for any employee, the loss of their job is a tragedy. On a personal basis this affects not only those facing unemployment but also family and the many staff around them, whether it be from losing friends and work mates, or increased workload and uncertainty about their own futures. From a corporate sense the timing and method of departure has a significant impact on immediate and mid to long term viability of the business. In Canberra some staff have literally had only minutes of notification that their employment was terminated prior to removing their personal effects and leaving the building for good.

The budget pressure, focussed around the rumoured $40 million reduction in costs, will also significant affect those staff that remain. Already new contracts offered have significantly reduced benefits over those previously offered and offers of AWAs cannot be far away. To what level they will extend is open to conjecture but it would be my reading that ATCs, FDCs and SSOs are not special as far as achieving cost reduction is concerned.

Robert Mason

VP Tech