The planned strikes by Border Force staff at UK airports would cause “undeniable, serious disruption” and people should “think carefully” about their Christmas travel plans, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has warned.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union announced on Dec. 7 that its members working at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, and Cardiff airports will strike for eight days from Dec. 23 to New Year’s Eve.
Talking to broadcasters on Dec. 8, Braverman said, “It’s very regrettable that they have made this decision to potentially strike over critical times in the run-up and following Christmas and New Year.
“If they go ahead with those strikes, there will be undeniable, serious disruption caused to many thousands of people who have holiday plans. I really want to urge people who have got plans to travel abroad to think carefully about their plans because they may well be impacted.”
‘Significant Impact’
PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said the staff who will go on strike work at passport control and, as a result, the strike will have a “significant impact.”Serwotka has met with government ministers, but he said they were refusing to increase a 2 percent pay rise.
He warned that the PCS will escalate industrial action in the New Year unless the deadlock is broken and also raised the prospect of coordinated action with other unions involved in disputes.
“The government can stop these strikes tomorrow if it puts money on the table,“ Serwotka said. ”Like so many workers, our members are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. They are desperate. 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.”
Downing Street repeated its warnings that the government can’t allow double-digit pay rises for public sector workers, as the UK’s inflation rate reaches 11 percent.
“It is inflation that is our shared enemy, and if we were to push ahead with double-digit pay deals across the public sector, at a cost of 28 billion [$34 billion] pounds, that’s a cost of 1,000 [$1,223] pounds per household," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said.
“That would embed inflation, which currently is expected to fall significantly next year. So we would be acting against everyone’s interests if we were to take all the demands and meet them in full.”
A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said, “Our priority is to ensure passengers get through the border safely and as quickly as possible.
“We are working closely with airlines and Border Force on mitigation plans for potential strike action by Border Force officers and these plans will now be implemented for the notified days.
“The Home Office advises that immigration and customs checks may take longer during peak times on strike days, and Heathrow will support Border Force to minimise these impacts with the aim of processing passengers through the border as efficiently as possible.
Army on Standby
In a bid to alleviate the potential disruptions caused by strikes in the run-up to Christmas, the UK government has put hundreds of soldiers on standby to cover for ambulance crews, firefighters, and Border Force staff.According to the Cabinet Office, about 2,000 British military personnel, civil servants, and volunteers from across the government have been training as part of the government’s contingency planning.
They include up to 600 armed forces personnel and 700 staff from the government’s specialist Surge and Rapid Response Team, as well as from other parts of the civil service.
But Serwotka warned the government against bringing in the military to cover for the strikes, saying there wasn’t enough time to train them properly.
Braverman said plans are in place to bring in army personnel to help fill a “variety of roles” but insisted that she wouldn’t compromise on security to alleviate disruption.
“Ultimately I’m not willing to compromise on security at the border; that’s the No. 1 priority,” she said.
“That may well have an adverse impact on convenience for people, frankly, whether it’s the time they have to wait for flights or departures, they may well be delayed on arrivals and various travel plans.”
Downing Street conceded on Dec. 8 that army personnel will face disrupted Christmases as they fill in at airports if the strikes go ahead.
“These rolling strikes will cause disruption to everyone and that does also include our military personnel, who will be required, unfortunately, to have to step in and backfill some of these vital roles we need to keep the country moving,” the prime minister’s spokesman said.
“We recognise that they have been called on to do this before, and I’m sure the public thanks them once again for the work they’re preparing to do.”
