Senior officials from regional airport operator HIAL will meet representatives of the trade union Prospect tomorrow in a bid to avert industrial action at the group’s 11 airports next week.
The following briefing outlines HIAL’s position ahead of the meeting:
HIAL has already taken steps to improve pay and terms and conditions for Prospect’s members, including:
- A 30% basic pay rise over the past six years.
- A new pension scheme which provides for company support worth three times that of the individual – for example, the individual contributes 5% and the company contributes 15%, or 6% and 18%, or 7% and 21% respectively.
Meanwhile, Prospect continues to push for a basic pay increase of 5%, equalisation with HIAL’s terms and conditions and parity with higher paid staff at Sumburgh Airport, where the high cost of living, low unemployment rates and a buoyant oil based economy has traditionally attracted higher wages.
Collectively, this package of measures would amount to an almost 30% increase.
Even at 5%, Prospect’s basic pay claim is wildly unrealistic. As a publicly owned company, HIAL is governed by the Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy, which currently stands at 1%. The company has been given no power to go beyond this policy. We continue to urge the union to put forward a more realistic claim.
Having already increased basic pay over the past six years and introduced a new pension plan, the company remains committed to improving the terms and conditions of Prospect members, over time. HIAL looks forward to continuing its dialogue with Prospect. The prospect of strike action is an unnecessary distraction.
In the meantime, the company is continuing to prepare its contingency plans in the event of industrial action. It is our intention that disruption is kept to a minimum. Further advice will be issued to passengers in due course.
However, even at this late stage we hope that industrial action can be avoided.
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