Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Passport control staff strike at six UK airports for better pay

Passport control staff strike at six UK airports for better pay

More than 1,000 Border Force officers walk out at six airports over pay amid the cost-of-living crisis.
More than 1,000 Border Force officers are expected to walk out at six airports over pay amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Passengers at United Kingdom airports experienced long delays after Border Force officers walked out as part of the latest strikes of public sector workers across the country.

More than 1,000 passport control staff are expected to walk out on the first day of a strike that is planned to last until New Year over pay, according to the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

The walkout is the latest addition to strikes of nurses, paramedics, and workers in the rail and postal sectors in the biggest wave of industrial action over pay and conditions in Britain for decades.

Following stoppages, the government refused to increase pay following years of wage stagnation and a cost-of-living crisis that has seen inflation running at nearly 11 percent.

The strike, organised by the PCS, is the first of eight planned between Friday and January 1 at six UK airports.

The government has drafted in armed forces personnel and civil servants to operate passport booths at the airports – Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester and the southern coast port of Newhaven.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said many Border Force employees were struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

“Forty-thousand of our members are using food banks; 45,000 of them are claiming in-work benefits. They are the in-work poor,” he told BBC radio, adding that the dispute was also about pensions and job security.

‘Should be prepared for disruption’
Travellers were warned to expect delays as they might face long queues at passport control that could lead to people being held on planes, disrupting subsequent departures.

“During the periods of industrial action, travellers should be prepared for disruption,” Border Force Chief Operating Officer Steve Dann said.

Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport, reported “minimal queueing” in its arrivals halls.

“Immigration halls are free flowing … with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good service,” a spokesperson said.

Gatwick, Britain’s second busiest, said passengers should expect longer wait times at passport control between Friday and the end of the year.

“We … anticipate some disruption, but flights are operating normally, arrivals and departures, and we expect that to continue,” Adam Jones, head of passenger operations, told Sky News.

About a quarter of a million passengers are due to arrive at affected airports on Friday.

National Highways workers responsible for motorways and major roads in London and southeast England, represented by the PCS, were also on Friday continuing their own four-day walkout, which started on Thursday.

Railway workers will stage another strike from 6pm (18:00 GMT) on Friday, through Christmas Eve until December 27.

And on Saturday, some London bus workers and Environment Agency employees will also launch separate waves of action.

The Border Force strikes will take place every day for the rest of the year, except for December 27.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×