Brits could be hit by holiday hell until autumn as strike fears loom
Brits could be hit by holiday hell until autumn as Passport Office and Border Force strike fears loom
- Members of the biggest civil service union have voted to extend their mandate
Britons could see their holiday plans hit by Passport Office and Border Force walkouts into autumn.
Members of the biggest civil service union have voted to extend their mandate for industrial action for another six months.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) yesterday said the vote was 88 per cent in favour, paving the way for strikes to continue for most of the rest of the year.
It has been embroiled in a bitter row with the Government over pay and conditions for months – and has held strikes in Whitehall departments and other areas including the Border Force, Passport Office and HM Revenue and Customs.
The PCS said the ballot result, on a 52 per cent turnout, means it can still call for ‘sustained action in targeted areas’. Among those who voted ‘Yes’ are members working in the Home Office, Passport Office and DVLA, and driving test examiners.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) yesterday said the vote was 88 per cent in favour, paving the way for strikes to continue for most of the rest of the year
They are now able to join those who already have a mandate for action, including those at HMRC, who were on strike yesterday.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘This vote shows our members will not tolerate being treated worse than anyone else in the public sector. It sends a very strong signal to the Government that they must get round the negotiating table immediately.
‘Unless ministers put more money on the table, they will see more high-profile disruptive action over the summer, leading into autumn.’
The PCS also boasted of causing huge disruption to people wanting to renew passports or obtain new travel documents after its members staged a recent five-week strike.
More than 1,000 members of the union – about a quarter of the total Passport Office workforce – walked out at eight sites in Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport from April 3 to May 5.
The PCS claimed that the number of appointments available for people needing a passport was ‘slashed’ and far fewer documents issued.
It came after many holidaymakers faced chaos last year – with some forced to cancel trips – after the Passport Office struggled to deal with a post-lockdown surge of renewal applications.
Heathrow Airport has also been affected by strikes by security staff belonging to the Unite union, who walked out between May 4 and 6 –coinciding with the Coronation – and on Tuesday and yesterday this week. They are due to stage further industrial action from May 25-27.
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