CRL will be closed Wed. 20/04/2016 morning

[Inquirer]

According to deredactie.be, the airport of CRL will be closed for all departing and arriving flights for the entire morning due to lack of Belgocontrol staff.

EN: https://www.aviation24.be/airports/brussel ... ntrollers/
NL: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/binnenland/1.2633801
FR: http://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/hainaut ... id=9274276

[Acid-drop]

Seriously ! This is mafia blackmail again.

[Passenger]

Seriously ! This is mafia blackmail again.

Agree. It's not because Belgocontrol says that it is no strike or no Industrial action, that it isn't.

But let's not forget that "Brussels South Charleroi Airport" doesn't pay Belgocontrol for ATC services at their airport. If CRL (and ANR and OST) would pay their contribution to Belgocontrol, like BRU does, Belgocontrol could engage more staff.

[Nevihta]

Once again, this has nothing to see with mafia or blackmail or whatever or any political manoeuvre you might imagine.
Don't worry, if Belgocontrol's management could say it's a strike, they would considering the relations between management and ATCOs
It's just bad management, and now not enough staff.
LGG has been closed for some times those days because of lack of staff.
Delays occurred in BRU.
CRL already had to prohibit VFR etc... now is the next step.
btw, where have you seen that CRL doesn't pay for ATC, because this would be something interesting to develop.

Edit :LGG closed tomorrow morning same reason.

[sn26567]

Seriously ! This is mafia blackmail again.

No, it isn't a strike, it's a lack of ATCOs: https://www.aviation24.be/airports/brussel ... ntrollers/

[jan_olieslagers]

Are Belgocontrol management "outsourcing" their staff shortages to the regionals?
To be frank, I couldn't blame them. But doing something about the issue would be a better approach.

[Passenger]

Lack of staff, too many people ill. The flu is out of the country, the snow is gone too, the sun is shining, the terraces were full today with people enjoying a drink. Only atco's are massively reporting sick at the moment...

Of course both Belgocontrol and the unions say it's no Industrial action. Belgocontrol can't say so because they don't have a pointer (they had a clear proof last week, with the guild's email campaign). And the guild and other unions don't dare to say it's Industrial action because 99% of the population condemns their action (both timing and content).

[flightlover]

The discussion about the contribution towards ATC at the regional airports dates back to 2010. Back then Belgocontrol requested a review of the law from 1989 by which regional airports are exempted from paying for ATC services. Not much of a problem in 1989 as the regional airports had a marginal impact on the Belgocontrol operations. Fair to say some things have changed since than.

I'm not aware that anything has changed to the contribution after the negotiations from 2010. So in essence: Belgocontrol is giving a service to 3 BIG airports and some small ones and is only paid by 1.

And yes, CRL and LGG are playing Calimero at that 'But we are small'. While in reality they can at least be called 'mid-sized'. One having over 7 million pax and the other having almost 650 thousand tonnes of freight.

[jan_olieslagers]

Are they reporting "sick" or "unfit"? We recently learned here that there's a difference - as I read previous messages, sickness must be stated by a dr. med., and can be checked by another dr. med. - but as I read previous posts in a previous thread, an ATCO feeling unfit for the job has to report the fact and that is that.

[jan_olieslagers]

One having over 7 million pax and the other having almost 650 thousand tonnes of freight.

But neither figure is relevant to ATC - their workload can only be measured against numbers of arrivals/departures. Where are the comparative figures for numbers of operations per annum for BE's five public airports? To my gut feeling, EBBR/BRU accounts for at least 80% of the volume, but I'll be glad to learn better. Anyhow, if this issue must be discussed again, isn't there a better thread for it?

[sn26567]

Where are the comparative figures for numbers of operations per annum for BE's five public airports? To my gut feeling, EBBR/BRU accounts for at least 80% of the volume, but I'll be glad to learn better. Anyhow, if this issue must be discussed again, isn't there a better thread for it?

https://www.aviation24.be/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55278
https://www.aviation24.be/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41565
https://www.aviation24.be/forums/viewtopic.php?t=46269

This topic seems to have been discussed several times over the years!

[EBBU]

Basic HR fact....

If you try to do a job that requires 10 people with only 9 employees it will work for a while but you have to realise you are eating away at your manpower base. If you overextend a tool it will break in the end. (And yes, any employee is a tool to management)
One day you will find yourself in a situation when you just won't have enough employees to do the job if the discrepancy between required FTE (Full Time Equivalent) and actual FTE is not reduced or eliminated.

This goes for any business.

It is irrelevant that you are an ATCO, factory worker, accountant,... It's just a case of poor manpower planning.

[sean1982]

Seriously ! This is mafia blackmail again.

No, it isn't a strike, it's a lack of ATCOs: https://www.aviation24.be/airports/brussel ... ntrollers/

Sure the virus blew over from BRU

[jan_olieslagers]

viewtopic.php?t=55278

Thanks André, but I only see amounts there, not numbers of movements.

[Acid-drop]

ALL belgian airport pay belgocontrol and thats another subject so please dont hijack this topic

http://www.wiloo.be/waalse_luchthavens_ ... 5dec12.pdf

[Acid-drop]

t's just a case of poor manpower planning.

And its pure luck that it happens a week after a strike ?
So not only they are playing with us but they also insult us with this.

[Passenger]

ALL belgian airport pay belgocontrol and thats another subject so please dont hijack this topic
http://www.wiloo.be/waalse_luchthavens_ ... 5dec12.pdf

So you don't want that the funding of Belgocontrol is brought up here, unless when you do so?

"A Bruxelles South Charleroi Airport (BSCA), l'activité des contrôleurs aériens représente une charge financière de 6,6 millions d'euros pour Belgocontrol. Mais l'aéroport carolo en supporte environ 1,3 million
d'euros". Quote from the article you brought up (an old article from 2012).

Actually, the lack of payments from the regional airports are one of the biggest problems for Belgocontrol.

[Acid-drop]

Just open another topic.
There is no "lack" of payement. All pay, and none pay 100%, not even BRU.
Btw if suddenly they had to pay, ANR and OST could be dying.

[Passenger]

Just open another topic.

Feel free to do so. But I want to post in this topic what I think is the reason for this topic.

[Passenger]

Are they reporting "sick" or "unfit"? We recently learned here that there's a difference - as I read previous messages, sickness must be stated by a dr. med., and can be checked by another dr. med. - but as I read previous posts in a previous thread, an ATCO feeling unfit for the job has to report the fact and that is that.

Maybe that's what you learned from last weeks strike. What I've learned from that strike, is that an atco can report unfit to work at any time, even without a doctor's notice, but for just one day.

And what I already knew, is that every employee in Belgium can stay home with a written notice from any doctor, at any time.

Given the nature of their job, a declaration that they are too stressed to work is enough for an atco to get such medical paper. Given the strict medical confidenciality (medisch beroepsgeheim) in Belgium, a counter expertise can't counter that document, unless doctor 1 told doctor 2 confidentially that the initial declaration to him/her was "I have the flu".