Passengers at UK airports have been threatened with more disruption next year after a union said Friday’s strike by Border Force officials is likely to be the first of many.
(Bloomberg) — Passengers at UK airports have been threatened with more disruption next year after a union said Friday’s strike by Border Force officials is likely to be the first of many.
Workers kicked off eight days of walkouts stretching to New Year’s Eve, with the Public and Commercial Services Union demanding higher pay and more job security for its members. Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary, warned of “a huge escalation of this action” in 2023.
Still, there was some reprieve as baggage handlers at London’s Heathrow airport called off strikes due to begin at 4 a.m. on Thursday Dec. 29 and last until New Year’s Day. Members of Unite accepted a pay offer from Menzies Aviation which the union said represented a 9.5% rise backdated to May 2022 and then a further 1% from January.
Airports and airlines had warned of disruption ahead of Friday’s passport-control strike, while a senior member of the Border Force suggested some airports could be forced to close.
However, at 9 a.m. on Friday, London’s Heathrow airport said it was operating as normal and no flights had been canceled.
“The morning arrivals peak has started well,” a spokesperson said. “Immigration halls are free-flowing at Heathrow with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good service.”
The initial strikes are taking place at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow and the port of Newhaven, on Dec. 23-26 and 28-31.
Long Haul
“We’re in it for the long haul,” said Dawn Poole, a Border Force officer on the picket line at Heathrow. “When you can’t pay your bills and the debt is increasing, and you’ve got nowhere to turn, what choice do you have?”
Britain is in the midst of a series of strikes across various sectors including trains, buses, the Royal Mail, civil service and National Health Service. Most concern pay levels, with UK inflation rising above 10% in recent months.
Steve Dann, the Border Force’s chief operating officer, said earlier in the week that contingency plans — which involve other civil servants and members of the military working on passport control — should be able to keep “most, if not all ports open.”
Airports have reduced the number of flights arriving during the strikes, while airlines have been offering passengers the chance to switch to flights outside the strike dates without incurring extra fees or charges.
(Adds the baggage handlers strike being called off in third paragraph.)
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