HIAL ATC pay talks ongoing as offer turned down

Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) have said talks with the Prospect union, over a looming air traffic controllers strike, will continue after an offer put on the table this week was turned down.

HIAL met with representatives from Prospect in Inverness earlier yesterday to discuss the ongoing pay dispute.

A HIAL spokesman said: “HIAL again tabled discussion on a possible retention allowance for Air Traffic Control Officers. However, Prospect has indicated that this would not be its members’ preferred option and it does not believe it would address their underlying pay issues.

“As it stands the claim from the trade union remains a minimum of a double-digit increase effective from April 1, 2018. A report compiled jointly between HIAL and Prospect on air traffic controller pay at non-HIAL airports found no evidence of a significant pay differential with other comparable airports.

“At this point, it has not been possible to reach an agreement with the trade union on their pay dispute. Therefore, HIAL and Prospect have agreed to refer the matter to ACAS in a bid to resolve the matter.”

However, David Avery, Prospect negotiations officer replied: “Members demands are reasonable and they need to be addressed. They are not seeking parity with Heathrow or Gatwick but other smaller airports.”

“They have received a decade of below inflation pay rises while the rest of the industry, in response to a global shortage of controllers, has moved ahead. The company already struggles to recruit controllers and this is having an impact on services at some airports.

“By asking for support from ACAS we hope to find a way forward in these talks. However ministers’ instructions to HIAL severely limit the companies negotiating position, so we also need to see these revoked.”

As it stands, controllers at seven of HIAL’s eleven sites, including Kirkwall Airport, are due to take strike action on Friday, April 26.

Industrial action short of a strike was also likely to start in April and continue through until August, and include instruction to work to rosters, refusal of non-medical extensions, an overtime ban, and withdrawal of goodwill.