Highland air traffic controllers settle pay dispute
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Agreement has been reached in the long-running dispute between air traffic controllers and bosses at Highland and Islands Airports Ltd
Inglis Lyon, managing director of Highland and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial), said air traffic controllers (ATCs) would now receive the 2019/20 pay increase already awarded to other staff, along with a commitment to a similar award in 2020/21 "assuming that Scottish Government’s pay policy remains broadly the same".
A "retention payment" would also be paid for a three-year period he said.
"This now draws the ATC industrial action to a close and we look forward to working with our air traffic control staff as we strive to maintain and develop sustainable airport services for the future,” he said.
Air traffic controllers had been in dispute with bosses for more than a year about their level of pay, with action including strikes that affected services across the Highlands – including at Inverness Airport – as well as a work-to-rule.
Staff accepted the new deal "by a large margin"when it was put to the vote according to the Prospect union.
The union's negotiations officer David Avery said: “We are pleased that our members have accepted this new deal and that this long-running dispute can now be brought to an end.
“Air traffic controllers provide a vital service for the Highlands and Islands and deserve to have their work and skills properly compensated and we are pleased that this deal represents real progress.
“The deal has required compromise on both sides and I would like to thank Scottish ministers for giving Hial the authority to reach a deal, and we look forward to working constructively with Hial in the future."
