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UK air travelers warned of 'disruptions' as Border Force staff go on strike

Saturday, 24 December 2022 1:21 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 24 December 2022 1:23 PM ]

Passengers queue to enter airport security ahead of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, at Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport, in London, the UK, April 14, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)

Air travelers in the UK are warned of delays and disruptions as passport control staff go on strike ahead of Christmas.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said on Friday that more than 1,000 Border Force staff are holding an industrial action due to last until New Year, affecting passport control desks at Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow airports, as well as the port of Newhaven in East Sussex.

Thousands of flights could be disrupted during one of the busiest times of the year, due to the government’s mismanagement.

Gatwick, Britain’s second busiest airport, 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,” Adam Jones, head of passenger operations, told Sky News.

The development came after the border agency rejected an offer of 2 percent pay rise, which is far below the inflation rate that stood at 10.7% in November.

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Meanwhile, Border Force apologized for the disruption for the incoming and outgoing passengers, pledging to work on the issue to address the problem.

“During the periods of industrial action, travelers should be prepared for disruption,” chief operating officer Steve Dann said.

Earlier in December, the government said it was training 2,000 military troops to be replaced with Border force staff upon personnel strike.

Predicting the chaos at the time, Home Secretary Suella Braverman warned the public against flying over Christmas and said that “there will be undeniable, serious disruption caused to many thousands of people who have holiday plans.”

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said many Border Force employees, like many other workers across the country, are harshly hit by 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.

From nurses to teachers, and to railway employees, British workers in various sectors have been staging back-to-back walkouts in the last few months, as the cost-of-living crisis is simmering across the country.

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