The crisis in PAŻP (Polska Agencja Żeglugi Powietrzenej – Polish Air Navigation Services Agency) started two years ago after the so-called Single Person Operations (SOP) mode was introduced on a larger scale and How this mode can affect safety in the Polish sky:
– in February 2021 was reported on an incident at Chopin Airport – the controller for two minutes did not respond to questions of the pilot approaching the landing and that the SOP system was introduced without the necessary training;
– also in February 2021, was wrote about controller in Katowice working in the SOP mode, who gave permission for landing despite the fact that the runway was under repair;
– In March 2021, was published information about a PAŻP employee who fell asleep on duty and did not respond to the pilot's call for nine minutes, and fell asleep again one hour later;
– Also in March 2021, was reported on a PAZP unionist who raised a safety alert and was fired;
– in May 2021 was reported on the case of a drunk controller who escaped from the tower; after being detained by the police it turned out that he had two miligrams of alcohol in his veins
– in June 2021 was wrote about the appeal of the head of ULC (Urząd Lotnictwa Cywilnego – Civil Aviation Authority) to the minister of infrastructure to act “due to the safety of air operations“;
– in December 2021, was reported on an incident at Krakow airport where a controller rescued an unconscious colleague, but traffic at the airport was not suspended and a plane with the prime minister on board took off during the rescue operation
– in January 2022, was described a letter from PAŻP employees to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in which they asked the head of government “Does a disaster have to happen for someone to react?“
– in March 2022, was published information about the beginning of mass departures from PAŻP;
– in April 2022, was presented the allegations made against PAŻP by the Supreme Audit Office, which confirmed earlier findings regarding the introduction of the SOP system.
Currently, the situation is such that in March, the notice periods of some controllers ended, and on April 31 ends the notice period for more than 80% of the Polish crew. Yes, you read it right, most controllers across the country prefer not to work than to work in dangerous conditions. Unions are fighting for flight safety, and a return to the old rates (which for the time of COVID-19 were “temporarily” cut by 20~40%), while the government seems to put all the responsibility on the people who want the sky to be safe.
It was the unions who started the battle, they were the ones who tried to negotiate and thanks to them the situation is at this point, exposing the whole government to be a joke.
A single person could not do it, but together you can do it!
source: TV24 (Polish but have links to more) https://tvn24.pl/biznes/z-kraju/kryzys-w-pazp-kolejna-tura-rozmow-z-kontrolerami-w-srode-27-kwietnia-2022-r-5688774