Industrial action may disrupt airports in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland at the end of July after employees of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited who are members of Unite (formerly T&G) voted for industrial action over the company’s 2006/07 pay award.

Unite has advised HIAL that discontinuous strike action lasting 24 hours will start on Monday 30 July at 00.01 hours and every subsequent Monday until resolution.

HIAL’s senior management will be meeting the union’s full-time official and airport representatives on Wednesday this week to discuss the situation.

HIAL employs 320 members of staff across its 10 airports and head office at: Barra; Benbecula,; Campbeltown; Inverness; Islay; Kirkwall; Stornoway; Sumburgh; Tiree and Wick. Unite represents fire fighter and leading fire fighter grades in the company’s airport fire service and engineers.

As a company wholly owned by the Scottish Executive, HIAL was subject to the UK Government’s cap on public sector wages and was limited to a 2% pay increase for 2006/07. HIAL employees represented by the Prospect and PCS trades unions have accepted the 2% pay offer for the year running 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007.

Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL said: “After seven months of negotiation it is disappointing that our airports now face disruption due to industrial action. We are meeting the union on Wednesday in a bid to avert this.”