Heathrow Airport: Border force staff to strike bringing chaos to tail-end of summer
Border force staff at Heathrow Airport are to strike for 23-days in a dispute over new terms and conditions.
650 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will walk out from 31 August to 3 September, with further disruption until 22 September.
The hundreds of staff will be ‘working to rule’ and will not work overtime until later next month.
The strikes at Britain’s busiest airport is set to cause chaos at the back-end of the UK summer.
All-in-all there will be 23 days worth of industrial action, which is part of what the union calls a “long-running dispute about enforced changes to terms and conditions – including the introduction of inflexible rosters”.
The row began in April. PCS said since the new terms came into effect, 160 staff have left the Border Force due to a lack of flexibility, while more than 80 per cent have been told they cannot be ‘accommodated’ in their current roles. Part-time and partially retired workers are being made to change hours as a result.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our hard-working members at Heathrow take great pride in keeping our country’s border safe, but many are being forced out of the job they love.
“They’re being told by managers to choose between caring responsibilities and their job, which is no choice at all. The only reason they’re being forced to choose is because their managers are forcing them.
“We know our strike action is likely to cause serious disruption to travellers using Heathrow at the end of the summer, but the strike can be avoided if the employer listens to the concerns of our members.”
The UK Border Force, run by the Home Office, has been approached for comment.
This comes after the new Labour government ended industrial strife with train firms this week, but Aslef then called further action today.
Critics have claimed the government’s approach to unions will encourage more striking.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We appreciate the tireless work that Border Force do to keep our borders safe and secure, and we arecommitted to continuing our conversations with the union so we can find an agreement that works for both the public and staff.”
“We will have robust plans in place to minimise disruption where possible, but we urge passengers to check the latest advice from operators before they travel.”