Strike proposed at north airports

Strike action by firefighters and engineers threatens to disrupt flights at north and islands airports.

Workers who are members of the Unite union have voted for industrial action over pay, Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) confirmed.

It said action lasting 24-hours has been proposed to start at 0001 BST on 30 July and every subsequent Monday until a resolution is found.

Meetings to avert the strike are to be held on Wednesday.

HIAL said the dispute was about the 2006-07 pay award for staff.

The Scottish Executive-owned company has 320 staff across its 10 airports and offices at Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick.

Fire service

Unite represents 131 firefighters and leading firefighter grades in the company's airport fire service and engineers.

Donnie Munro, from Unite, said HIAL had grown over the last few years in line with expanding passenger numbers.

He added: "There is an acknowledgement whereby if they had been allowed they would have offered more than 2%."

HIAL said because as it is government-owned, it was subject to a UK-wide cap on public sector wages and was limited to a 2% pay increase for 2006/07.

The company said staff represented by the Prospect and PCS trades unions had accepted the offer for the year running 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007.