Staff at UK airports to strike over Christmas in pay row
UK Border Force staff are to strike over the busy festive holidays at airports across the country in a dispute over pay and conditions, a union has announced.
MEHR: UK Border Force staff are to strike over the busy festive holidays at airports across the country in a dispute over pay and conditions, a union has announced.
Passport checks at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Birmingham airports will be among those disrupted, the PCS union has said. Days affected will include the period from 23 December to Boxing Day inclusive, and from 28 December to New Year’s Eve.
Union members are also expected to strike at Newhaven port in East Sussex and at the Highways Agency on strike dates coordinated with RMT action on the railways, the union said, according to the Guardian.
The strike is expected to affect hundreds of thousands of people planning to go on holiday. The government has been preparing for the strike by training 600 soldiers to check passports instead.
The announcement came on the same day Rishi Sunak promised “new tough laws” to curb the impact of industrial action as he criticiszd “unreasonable” unions.
Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary, announced the dates after 100,000 PCS members in 214 government departments and other public bodies voted to take action in support of a 10% pay rise, pensions, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.
Serwotka said he had written to Adm Sir Tony Radakin, head of the armed forces, calling for the withdrawal of British forces from covering for striking workers.
Soldiers have received between three and five days of training so they can cover for Border Force staff, who usually receive between three and five weeks of training before being assigned a mentor for at least a month.
Members of the armed forces could also be brought in to help drive ambulances and fire engines in other disputes, ministers have said.
