Air traffic control staff step up industrial action over remote towers plans to centralise operations
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Prospect union members are planning to increase their industrial action at Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) over the remote towers plan to centralise air traffic control operations in Inverness.
The union, which represents air traffic control staff and others in Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, yesterday notified the operator that workers in Air Traffic Control will be escalating their industrial action over the project – unless it changes tack nearly 50 staff could be made redundant with HIAL needing to recruit a similar number in Inverness at very significant expense to the taxpayer the union has claimed.
The escalation of industrial action will include: work to rosters; overtime ban; refusal of extensions except for search and rescue, emergency and medical flights; refusal to commence training of new controllers not within the business on the date of the commencement of the ballot on November 30 last year.
It is in addition to the continuous action short of a strike which was notified on December 21, which started on January 4, which consisted of a refusal to engage with the proposals and planning to close ATS workplaces, centralise in Inverness and downgrade airports within HIAL which remains in effect.
Prospect negotiator David Avery said: “Prospect has presented a raft of evidence against remote towers, including an independent report into its viability, and HIAL’s own impact assessment published recently shows the negative impact it will have on communities, but HIAL are pressing on regardless. This is the wrong plan and at a time when aviation is being decimated by the pandemic there are better things to spend taxpayers’ money on.
“HIAL claims that the current system is inflexible and unsustainable, this is simply not the case. Staff come in early and stay late to accommodate aircraft to ensure that their local communities remain connected. Where there have been staffing problems in the past the staff have gone above and beyond to ensure airports remain open.
“It is not too late for HIAL and the Scottish Government to think again, cancel this harmful project and come up with an acceptable way to modernise services.”
However, HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon said: “Further industrial action by Prospect will have a significant impact on local communities and individuals who rely on HIAL’s airports. This action is unwarranted and at this time could put existing routes under unsustainable pressure, just as the country is emerging from lockdown.
“We would not be undertaking this hugely complex project unless we believed it was absolutely necessary to do so. We have repeatedly said the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) is the only option that allows us to move forward in a way that ensures the long-term future of air services for the Highlands and Islands and that remains the case. For its part Prospect has repeatedly failed to provide a credible alternative.
“The aviation industry will take years to recover from the effects of Covid 19 and any disruption to scheduled services as a result of this action will put us further behind at a time when we should be looking forward.
“Notwithstanding that HIAL operates a no redundancy policy, Prospect repeats its inaccurate claim that HIAL will make 50 staff redundant. Our air traffic controllers are highly-valued colleagues and we will work closely with them as we go through a period of significant change and necessary modernisation in the way air traffic management is delivered.”
