Explaining the move, Prospect national secretary Alan Denney said: “We put in our claim in October but have yet to receive an offer from the employer in response to this. Not only that, we’ve seen no evidence to suggest that the claim has been put before the Scottish government, the owners of HIAL.

“Despite management’s claim to the contrary there has been no real attempt to secure a settlement with us before a strike takes place. In effect they’ve been moving at a snails pace all this time in the hope that we would crack.

“This is mistaken. Our resolve is rock solid and membership has in fact been growing since the result of the strike ballot was announced.”

The union says attempts to draft in non-security Prospect members in HIAL have been rebuffed and that delays and disruption to flights will be inevitable. And it has warned that further strike action, sanctioned by the recent ballot, is a possibility.

Denney will today be joining picket lines at Inverness Airport, where more than 60 AMSL members are based.

Once the first 48 hours of strike action has concluded members will begin a work to contract, including an overtime ban and a ban on rest day working.

In the six years since HIAL brought security in house, management has failed to agree equal pay, holidays, and sick pay for AMSL’s airport security workers

The union represents more than 120 of AMSL’s 160 workers covering eleven Scottish airports including Dundee, Inverness, Stornoway and Sumburgh.

For further information contact:

Alan Denney 0131 558 5283 (w) 07713 511702 (m) [email protected]

Andrew Child 020 7902 6681 (w) [email protected]