Strike announced by border staff at ports and airports
Families returning from Easter holidays could face delays as border unions announce a one-day strike at ports and airports.
Around 12,000 Border Force staff are expected to stage a 24-hour walkout out on Monday, April 8th.
The strike, organised by the PCS union, is over cuts to pay, pensions and conditions.
The one-day strike on Monday replaces a half-day strike proposed for Friday, April 5th because unions say staff were told they would be docked a full day’s pay for a half day walk-out.
The union said on its website: "A one-day strike has been called in place of an earlier planned half-day walkout on April 5th after Home Office management tried to scupper that action by threatening to refuse to pay staff for the whole day.
"The one-day strike covers members in core Home Office (including Border Force and legacy UK Border Agency) and Disclosure and Barring Service."
It added that members in the Identity and Passport service and the UKBA public enquiry office will still carry out a half day’s strike at 1pm on Friday, April 5th, as management there accepted that only a half day’s pay should be deducted.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "Members will rightly recognise that if we are to be forced by management to lose a day’s pay, then the action should be commensurate to that. We have therefore served notice on the employer that we intend to take a full day of strike action on Monday April 8th."
"Only if management withdraw their threats over ‘partial performance’ will the union revert to the planned walkout on April 5th."
A spokesman for the Border Force said contingency plans were in place to deal with the strike.
He said: "We will not compromise the safety of the border. Border Force has contingency plans in place to ensure any industrial action has minimal impact on their operations.
"We have proven that we are capable of running a safe and secure border during previous strikes and are confident of doing so again."
Diane
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