Workers at Dundee Airport are to be balloted for strike action next week.
The trade union Prospect says it will issue ballot papers to its members on Monday, which could lead to much of the airport’s workforce walking out en masse over a longstanding pay dispute with Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL).
There are over 30 members of staff at the airport who are with the union.
Despite recent attempts to avoid the industrial action by HIAL it looks increasingly likely that staff including firefighters, air traffic controllers, engineers, fuel staff and check-in personnel will leave their respective positions for 24 hours followed by an overtime ban, which could affect late-running aircraft from London City airport and other flights.
Alan Denney, the national secretary for the trade union representing more than 300 staff across HIAL, said: ”The company made a revised offer around two weeks ago, which was unanimously rejected. I was not surprised by this because it wasn’t an increase in money, it was just a repackaging of the old offer.
”A ballot will go out to workers on Monday and there will be a two-week period when it can be returned. We will then decided what we are going to do after the vote is counted on April 16.”
The ongoing unrest is due to a unique salary structure in force at Dundee Airport, which allows HIAL to pay its staff up to £10,000 less than at its other 10 locations.
This is due to the airport being the only one in the group wholly owned by Scottish ministers and as such is governed under the Public Sector Pay Policy, thus limiting salary-raising powers.
HIAL stressed it is continuing to work with the union in a bid to avoid any disruption. Managing director Inglis Lyon said: ”We have continued to seek constructive progress in order to avert the prospect of damaging industrial action. We believe our revised pay offer reflects this constructive approach and, even at this late stage, we hope that industrial action can be avoided in the interests of the city and its airport.
”At a time of declining passenger numbers, we need to work harder than ever to attract business and leisure visitors to the city. With ever-increasing competition from other airports, industrial action would be counter-productive. We would urge union members to accept the revised offer and work with us to grow Dundee Airport.”