Pay Rises For Air Controllers

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31128, 3 August 1966, Page 3

Pay Rises For Air Controllers

(N.Z. Press Association/

WELLINGTON, August 2.

Substantial pay increases have been granted air-traffic controllers.

The Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) said today that except for the two top grades—four positions in all —the increases were as recommended by a committee of inquiry which investigated pay and conditions.

The new salary scales will be back-dated to January 1, 1965. The Controller of Air Traffic Services’ salary of £2505 has been increased to £3035, the Superintendent of Air Traffic Services from £2225 to £2850, regional airways officers from £2115 to £2750 and officers in charge from £2060 to £2600.

Senior supervisors get an increase from £2005 to £2450, watch supervisors £1895 to £2350, terminal controllers from £1315-£1785 to £2OOO- - Air-traffic control officers (radar) receive increases from £1315-£1785 to £lBOO- - air traffic control officers (non-radar) from £1260£1570 to £1470-1735, adult trainee controllers from |£llls-£l2lO to £llOO-£i4oo.

and air-traffic control assistants from £1064 to £llO5. Mr Holyoake said the Government decided not to implement the committee of inquiry's recommendations for the top two grades because it felt obliged to offer less to preserve some margin between controllers’ salaries and those of the most senior technical executives in the Civil Aviation Department. He said the increased salaries now approved were additional to earlier increases granted just before the committee was set up last August. These generally ranged from £lOO to £330 a year—with an average of approximately £2OO. Mr Holyoake said conditions of service would be altered as follows: “When there is sufficient staff, maximum rostered hours of duty will be 37J in five shifts not exceeding 71 hours with a maximum of 45 hours in any working week (including extended shifts and recall duty).

“As soon as staffing permits, officers will be temporarily relieved from radar duty after two hours on active watch. “A minimum of 12 hours of duty will be provided between shifts—but may be reduced in special circumstances.

“From a date to be agreed, overtime will be paid for

more than 394 hours a week. “The committee’s recommendations that there be no limit to salaries on which overtime and penal time are paid, and no restrictions on annual earnings from overtime and penal time, were accepted,” said Mr Holyoake. “But a proposal that hourly rates should not be limited is still to be negotiated.” The committee of inquiry— Mr J. W. P. Watts (chairman), Captain J. Register, and Mr D. P. Lynskey—delivered its report to the Government on June 10 last.