Contingency plans drawn up to cope with Olympic eve airport strike
Contigency plans are being drawn up to cope with a strike by thousands of airport immigration staff on eve of the Olympics.
The 24-hour strike, on one of the airport’s busiest days, will involve UK Border Agency, the Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau staff.
The action has been branded "shameful" by polticians and by members of the travel trade.
But Public and Commercial Services Union general secretary Mark Serwotka said staff are at breaking point.
"Ministers have known about these issues for a very long time and need to act now to sort out the chaos they have caused," he said when the announcement was made yesterday.
"They’re acting recklessly in cutting so many jobs and privatising services, and are provocatively refusing to talk to us with a genuine desire to reach an agreement."
by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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