STRIKES are set to hit airports across the Scottish Highlands and Islands after workers voted to down tools over plummeting take-home pay, Unite warned today.

The union said it would confirm industrial action dates next week after nearly three-quarters of its members in 11 airports in the HIAL group, including fire and rescue, security and administration staff, backed walkouts.

The dispute, which Unite predicted would cause “huge disruption” at the sites that serve mainly rural communities, follows a below-inflation wage offer of just 5 per cent. 

HIAL, a private limited company wholly owned by the Scottish government, has claimed it is bound by funding obligations set by SNP ministers, who “must meet with the union, bosses and workers,” Unite urged.

“With the necessary political will, we believe that our members’ pay, terms and conditions can be improved,” industrial officer Shauna Wright said. 

The airports facing action are Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick.

A spokesperson for the group said it was “disappointed” by the result after the salary proposal “maximised the flexibility within the Scottish government’s pay policy.”

More “constructive dialogue” is needed, they added.