Highlands and Islands Airports (HIAL) is facing the prospect of potential strike action after unions rejected a pay offer designed to offset some of the current cost of living pressures.
Three labour bodies; Unite, Prospect and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) turned down the 5% basic award which HIAL insists is an “improved pay offer”.
Unite in particular wields major influence at all 11 HIAL airports across the north and on the islands as it represents a significant number of fire crews essential to the operation of all flights.
HIAL employs nearly 700 staff with the three unions involved also representing air traffic control and management.
“We went in with a substantial pay increase (request) and for allowances to be looked at as well,” Unite lead officer for HIAL Shauna Wright told the Press and Journal, although she declined to detail the exact figure submitted.
Meeting requested as ‘matter of urgency’
She said the union represented a “wide variety of sectors; fire fighters, motor transport, receptionists, engineers and clerical staff”.
Unite has requested “as a matter of urgency” a meeting with HIAL management this Friday in a bid to thrash out a solution to the pay dispute and avert any potential strike action.
Ms Wright added: “If there is no improvement, if there is no increase, we have a meeting for Friday afternoon to see what the next steps will be.”
That discussion in the afternoon with Unite members will follow talks with management at 11am on Friday morning.
HIAL insists it “explored all options” to make an improved pay offer to the three unions but concedes this has now been turned down.
HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon said: “The offer was the result of an extensive exercise on cost savings and the generation of additional income to allow an enhanced pay award that was affordable from within our existing finances.
“We will now meet union colleagues to try and reach a solution following the disappointing result.”
The enhanced pay offer comprised:
• A 5% basic pay award to all staff earning less than £80k
• A 4% basic pay award to all staff earning more than £80k
• A 5% increase to fixed allowances, not automatically updated by the 5% increase in basic pay.
Rejection by unions of the pay deal follows news from HIAL in September it would not proceed with parts of an air traffic modernisation plan following a cut in its budget from Transport Scotland.
The move came after a broader spending review by the Scottish Government in May and will see HIAL “scale back” its project.
HIAL operates 11 airports, including Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick John O’Groats.
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