A union boss is cutting short his holiday to try to broker a peace deal in a dispute between airport staff and their bosses which could cause travel chaos across the north.
Security workers voted to stage a 48-hour strike during the Easter holidays amid a bitter dispute over pay and conditions.
But hopes were rising last night that fresh talks could lead to an 11th hour U-turn by the Airport Management Services Ltd (AMSL) staff.
They are scheduled to walk out from midday on April 7.
Highland and islands Airports Ltd (Hial) has insisted its 11 terminals will operate as normal during the strike – although it has admitted the situation would be “challenging”.
In a ballot last week, 87% of Prospect union members who work for AMSL voted in favour of a strike, on a turnout of 85%.
The union maintains the bulk of security workers receive “inferior terms for work of equal value” compared with other staff.
The two sides are now due to hold talks in Inverness tomorrow.
Prospect national secretary Alan Denney said last night: “Despite the fact that I am on annual leave, I have made arrangements to meet them on Wednesday morning.
“Hopefully we will have a positive story on Wednesday afternoon.”
The security staff are responsible for making a range of checks, including carrying out searches and operating X-ray equipment.
The union claims that in the six years since Hial took security in-house, management has failed to agree equal wages, holidays and sick pay for AMSL workers.
But airport chiefs say the union’s demands amount to the equivalent of a 30% pay increase.
Hial managing director Inglis Lyon has admitted that coping with the walkout would be challenging but said that managers had been trained to carry out the checks normally done by the security workers.
Mr Lyon said he had written to Prospect last week inviting the union to hold further talks, but received no reply.
He added that he had again written to the union with an offer for more talks.
Mr Lyon said: “We have shown a willingness to engage with the union and we are prepared to consider more realistic claims from them. However, we cannot accede to demands for a near-30% pay increase.”
Mr Denney claimed the union had no record of receiving a letter from Mr Lyon last week but added that as soon as he had received a phone call from the company on Monday morning he responded and a meeting was arranged.
He said: “We have no record of a letter last week but I don’t want to dwell on that.”
He added hat any offer would have to be put to members before the strike could be called off.
Last night Stewart Nicol, chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said: “It is for management and the workforce to work together and sort this out.
“But I hope these talks reach a positive conclusion very quickly.”
Mr Nicol said that air services were “critical” to the whole Highland economy and any strike could have a “disproportionate” impact.
Health bosses in the Western Isles are already preparing contingency plans for next week’s strike because of fears that it could affect patients travelling for treatment.
Hial operates airports at Inverness, Stornoway, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Wick, Benbecula, Barra, Tiree, Islay, Campbeltown and Dundee.