Further strike dates announced at Highlands airports

Sumburgh will again be affected by the strike action

Further days of strike action have been announced by air traffic controllers employed by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (Hial).

Their union, Prospect, said the move followed the company's rejection of a new proposal it made on pay.

A ballot on the latest formal offer from Hial, held last month, saw union members reject it.

The union said it would attempt to avoid disrupting major events and that the strikes were "a last resort".

The following 24-hour strikes have been scheduled:

• Inverness - 21 July

• Sumburgh and Kirkwall - 22 July

• Dundee, Stornoway and Benbecula - 23 July

In addition, a work-to-rule will continue.

A special arrangement will keep Wick John O'Groats Airport open.

Prospect union officer David Avery said: "While we will seek to avoid disrupting major events as much possible, any strike action is disruptive by its nature, particularly during the school holidays.

"We would like to reiterate that we have been seeking to resolve this dispute for more than a year and this action is only being taken as a last resort."

When the June ballot result was announced, Hial managing director Inglis Lyon said the company was disappointed an enhanced offer had been rejected.

"It is unfortunate that the industrial action has been reinstated during the peak holiday period," he said, "and I would like to apologise in advance to our passengers, customers and local communities for the disruption this will inevitably cause."

Hial is owned by the Scottish government and Prospect has argued that controllers employed elsewhere were paid considerably more.