A rambling memo sent out by AirServices Australia CEO Greg Russell to his staff this week should be enough to end his career.
AirServices Australia is no longer delivering its product: the continuous safe separation of airliners in controlled air space.
It has been criticised for this by its two major customers, Qantas and Virgin Blue. Tiger Airways this morning complained about the cost burden of flying around uncontrolled air space because it refuses to use those areas on safety grounds.
Departing CASA CEO Bruce Byron has also criticised AirServices Australia, as has ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
AirServices has even undermined its income base by failing to provide its airline customers with the product for which they pay. No control means no fees. And it has serious safety implications.
Russell may well be right about the amazing coincidence between controllers not presenting for duty on their days off or for additional overtime when pay negotiations are underway. But that’s the job of any CEO to anticipate and manage. It has not been managed at AirServices. It has been allowed to fall into a heap.
When overseas flights are approaching an Australian city with legal fuel reserves and are suddenly confronted with no air traffic control for the final stage of the flight to the destination or to the flight-plan-filed alternative airport to which they would divert in the event of fog or adverse winds, they are confronted with conditions their standard operation procedures forbid, and marginal if not inadequate fuel reserves.
This is an intolerably dangerous situation. It cannot be remedied simply by bullying people who are drop dead tired to work yet another additional shift. The rules governing air traffic controller rostering also forbid such a solution.
This needs to be fixed immediately.
I’m a veteran ATC; in 3 very short years Greg Russell has rudimentarily reduced our once proud organisation into a joint run by yes men chasing the almighty dollar, that claim a safety mantra because their system says so, not because it is.
Record profits offset by deliberate actions to reduce costs including expensive wages by those highly paid unproductive trainees, that tend to fail in high numbers. These profits have produce significant management bonuses, for what, running the company into the iceberg?
Why is the Board silent, does Russell have their full support?
Russell’s restructures, not an imaginary ATC industrial campaign is to blame. 30+ Managers no longer talk to aircraft because of his restructures, minimum staffing requirements have risen due to task division processes (his SDE restructure, for those in the know). Night shift coverage has also increased because of SDE. There might just be a link between extra night shifts and extra fatigue levels?
I am currently searching the internet for a job elsewhere, I’m taking the first life boat off; the iceberg is approaching; I’ve had multiple discussion over the last week, many others are also seeking a position i a life boat.
Mr Russell has, single handed, united the ATC work group as one, working to destroy the common enemy, GREG RUSSELL, well done; this has never happened before.
The minister just today released ‘productivity figures’ courtesy of the BITRE report as mentioned in today’s Australian, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,24107572-23349,00.html
Everything in RPT aviation in Australia is up, except for controller numbers., which have declined sharply in recent times and when the ‘age profile’ truly kicks in, some 30 years after the last major recruitment campaign, it will get a whole lot worse.
Productivity through the roof, now this menace known as Russell wants extra ‘flexibility’ regarding rosters, NEWS FLASH GREG, BUGGER OFF IDIOT!