31/07/2016

Message from the Former President – ATEOA

Gamini Amarathunga

Being one of the founder members and the president of the Association, I am very happy and feel privileged to pen this message to mark the silver jubilee of ATEOA, founded in 1990. I wish to greet and congratulate every member of the ATEOA, who have worked together for the past twenty five years to accomplish the association’s objectives and achieve its prominent status. It is much appropriate to make this occasion for thanksgiving and renewing commitments to face new challenges ahead of us. Accordingly, my heartfelt gratitude goes to the founder of the Association, Mr. Hilary S. Muthukuda and past leaders for their guidance, because our present existence is due to the successes in the past.

Affiliation to the International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations (IFATSEA) in 1998 was a major landmark in our journey through the past. IFATSEA, well-known among the global aviation community, is the only international federation, that unites the professional associations of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel (ATSEP) from around the world which  strive to protect and safeguard the collective professional interests of Air Traffic Safety Electronics personnel. Having correctly realized the relevance and benefits that IFATSEA can deliver to our ATSEP, and thus to the organization, the present  Board of Management of the AASL recently took a bold decision to pay the IFATSEA subscription annually and endorsed the approval for ATEOA representations in AFATSEA annual congress, which had been discontinued for some years.

ATSEP do their job in silence. Also, the duties involved are generally not visualized, highlighted or exposed to the public and the importance is not realized at times even by the management due to the inherent nature of the profession. At some remote locations, they work under hard, critical & adverse weather conditions with minimum facilities and continuous exposure to radiation hazards without complaints. Despite all of the above, the ATEOA could solve most of its issues by making no threats, no strikes, no legal actions, but, only through peaceful dialogues thereby protecting the dignity of members as well as the sensitivity of our profession.

It is a great pleasure to mention that, proving the fact that peace and tolerance give better results, the present AASL management under the leadership of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and the Executive Director, having understood the real gravity of the profession, have already taken some unanimous decisions to solve many of our important issues further protecting the self-respect of ATSEP.

Gamini Amarathunga
Former President
Air Traffic Engineering Officers’ Association – Sri Lanka

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