Christmas strikes: Border Force to walk out for eight days
Border Force staff working at several UK airports will strike over the Christmas period in a long-standing dispute over jobs and pay.
Members of the union PCS will walk out between 23 and 26 as well as 28 and 31 December at several UK airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, more than 1.5 million passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick will be affected.
The industrial action will partially coincide with the RMT strike at Network Rail, which will take place between 6pm 24 and 6am 27 December.
“Like so many workers, our members are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. They are desperate,” said PCS’s general secretary Mark Serwotka.
“They are being told there is no money for them, while they watch ministers giving out government contracts worth billions of pounds to their mates.”
Voted by 100,000 union members, the strike is expected to disrupt thousands of travellers looking to get away for the festive period.
Airport operators said they were disappointed by the decision, with Heathrow warning passengers to check before they travelled.
“We urge Border Force, the Home Office and all Government departments to get back around the table to resolve these strikes before they begin or put in place concrete and deliverable contingency measures to keep the border operating smoothly,” said a spokesperson for the Airport Operators Association (AOA).
The AOA remarks were echoed by carrier trade body Airlines UK, which urged all parties to avoid strikes “at what is such an important time of year for many travellers.”
Aviation minister Baroness Vere just yesterday told journalists the government was liaising with third party operators, including the army, to guarantee a smooth run of operations.
The Home Office was approached for comment.