Isle of Man air passengers could face disruption if airline staff vote to take strike action.

The Unite Union says it is balloting Loganair cabin crew after rejecting a pay offer from the airline and citing management 'arrogance'

Loganair cabin crew rejected a ‘final’ wage offer from the company before pay negotiations had even taken place.

More than 60 Loganair cabin crew involved in the ballot are based out of the Isle of Man, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Southampton airports.

The cabin crew service flights across the UK and Ireland.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Not only is Loganair financially healthy, but its cabin crew are being asked to do more and more at a time when job insecurity has risen for workers. Our members will have their union’s full support throughout this dispute.’

Unite has criticised Loganair management for failing to negotiate with the union by tabling a ‘final’ pay offer before any negotiations had taken place. The union says the attempt to force the offer on cabin crew was immediately rejected as unacceptable.

Unite says it is highlighting that workload pressures on cabin crew continue to increase alongside job insecurity after Loganair’s decision in August to stop its public service obligation routes in and out of Dundee airport.

The ballot will open on Thursday (October 8) and close on October 27.

Carrie Donoghue, Unite industrial officer, said: ‘Unite found itself in the unacceptable position of Loganair tabling a final offer before any negotiations had taken place.

‘Loganair appears to have no genuine intention of avoiding an escalation in the dispute. Any future strike action involving Loganair cabin crew will be a direct result of the company putting profits before people.’

A Loganair spokesperson says the airline is disappointed by the move by Unite and denies only one offer has been put forward.

They said: ‘We are aware that Unite is consulting its members on possible industrial action over pay. Having engaged constructively with Unite over recent months, we are disappointed by this move.

‘In late September, we made an improved offer giving certainty over a two-year period, and we learned of its rejection through the media rather than from Unite directly.

‘Like every airline, we are operating in a very challenging economic climate, with fuel costs up significantly and consumer demand softening. We value our cabin crew greatly, and we remain committed to reaching an agreement through the recognised collective bargaining process, with hopes that Unite return to the table.

‘We do not expect this situation to affect our services, and our priority remains the smooth running of our flights for customers.’

Loganair operates services to and from the Isle of Man from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London Heathrow and Manchester.

The Department of Infrastructure has been contacted for comment.