Union secures pay increase for Sumburgh Airport staff

A PAY deal has been struck to give a 7.5 per cent wage lift to Unite workers at Sumburgh Airport across two years.

Security staff, baggage handlers, ground crew and those working in fire and rescue are among the union members who will receive the uplift.

The union Unite said that over 200 members across 11 Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (HIAL) airports had accepted the new deal.

It will see a four per cent pay increase in 2025/26, backdated to April last year, followed by a 3.5 per cent rise over the next year from April 2026 onwards.

The trade union said it agreed a number of new allowances with HIAL, including a commitment to no compulsory redundancies and improvements to unsocial working hours.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said its members had “secured a boost to jobs, pay and conditions”.

“It’s a good deal which will provide extra security and more money in the pockets of hundreds of our members.”

Unite industrial officer Marc Jackson said they were “pleased to improve the pay and allowances our members get”.

“It’s a deal which will improve the pay of workers based in rural and remote communities in Scotland,” he added.

HIAL operates 11 airports across Scotland, including Sumburgh, Kirkwall, Inverness and Dundee.

It is a private limited company, wholly-owned by the Scottish Government.