British Passport Officers To Take 5 Weeks Of Strike Action

LONDON, A pay dispute will cause most British passport office employees to walk off the job for 5 weeks beginning next month, which could delay the delivery of passports in time for the summer vacation.

From When British Passport Officers Take 5 Weeks Of Strike Action?

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union announced on Friday that more than 1,000 members who work at the majority of the UK’s passport offices, including those in Glasgow, Liverpool, and London, will strike from April 3 to May 5.

They join British workers from other industries who have gone on strike recently in demand of higher pay to cover rising inflation.

If enough people vote to walk out of their jobs in a vote that ends on Friday, passport officers in Belfast, Northern Ireland, might also go on strike.

Mark Serwotka the PCS General Secretary said on it that “This escalation of our action has come about because, in sharp contrast with other parts of the public sector, ministers have failed to hold any meaningful talks with us, despite two massive strikes and sustained, targeted action lasting six months.

Given that UK inflation is currently just over 10%, the PCS union has demanded a 10% pay increase for civil servants. Passport officers had previously rejected a 2% pay increase.

Since over 5 million UK passports are issued annually by the government’s passport offices, any strike by the employees there is likely to have a significant negative impact on services.

As workers demand pay increases that better reflect the worst inflation in forty years, Britain is experiencing the worst wave of labor unrest since the 1980s, with strikes affecting almost every aspect of daily life, from healthcare and transportation to schools and border checks.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of other workers, including railway workers, doctors, and teachers, participated in a strike along with approximately 100,000 additional civil servants who work for government agencies.

The Home Office has been contacted by BBC News for a response.

After months of strikes over pay issues in other industries, including rail workers, London Underground drivers, teachers, NHS staff, regional BBC journalists, university lecturers, and civil servants, the most recent action by passport office employees is the result of a pay dispute.

A final pay offer for healthcare workers in England was reached on Thursday by the unions that represent them and the government. If approved by members at a vote, the offer would put an end to walkouts by nurses, ambulance drivers, paramedics, hospital porters, and other healthcare workers.

Both the government and the healthcare unions said in a statement that they thought the offer was a “fair and reasonable settlement”.

Junior doctors are exempt from the agreement because they are embroiled in a different government dispute.