The HIAL storm: Resisting the technological transformation of air traffic control

Abstract Whether and under what conditions the implementation of technology can be resisted hinges on how labour can mobilise structural, associational, institutional, coalitional and ideational power resources. The failed attempt of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) to create a remote tower centre at Inverness to control air traffic at seven regional airports, with the loss of well‐paid jobs in local communities, demonstrates the importance of the composition and interaction of different power resources. By analysing a group of workers with abundant power resources during a ‘storm’ as well as a period of calm, we demonstrate how different power resources can complement but also compromise workers' interests, thereby explaining why unions might be hesitant to utilise specific resources over time and place.