Second day of strike action at Kirkwall Airport announced

Air travel to and from Kirkwall Airport is set to be disrupted once more as air traffic controllers announce a second day of strike action.

The 24-hour strike will take place on Wednesday, June 12.

David Avery of Prospect, the union which represents the air traffic controllers, said: “Since the initial strike action we have received no new offer from the employer, therefore our members have taken the decision to undertake a second day of strike action.

“The onus is now on HIAL and Scottish Government ministers to engage seriously with this dispute and come up with a proposal that will resolve this issue.

“We remain willing to negotiate in good faith and hope that an acceptable solution can be found.”

Inglis Lyon, HIAL managing director said:  “Prospect were advised this morning, Wednesday, May 29, that HIAL were preparing a further proposal which we hoped would resolve the current dispute, and would be presented to them early next week.

”Our proposal recognises the skills of our Air Traffic Control Officers and the importance of delivering air traffic management services for the future. The proposal is within the flexibility granted by the Scottish Government to examine a retention allowance for ATCOs.

“We requested that Prospect suspend further dates for strike action to allow consultation on our offer to take place. It is extremely disappointing that the union has chosen to ignore our request and announce a further day of strike action on June 12

“Our aim is to resolve this dispute as soon as possible and we will, of course, continue to engage with Prospect to consult on our proposal.”