It should be noted that UK Border Force strikes at ports and airports are likely to affect travellers in March and April.
It seems that the UK Border Force decided to go on strike on 15 March after indulging in the same industrial action for half of February.
While the UK government strives to minimize disruption, it warned people travelling on 15 and 16 March of longer wait times at UK border control.
What’s important to note here is that military personnel and government workers have been trained to conduct border checks during such strikes. This was done to deal with last year’s strikes, and it is safe to say that this brought in a lot of criticism since people considered it a risky measure.
Furthermore, the industrial action in France also took place on 15 March, contributing to more disruption and longer wait times at French ports.
Now Heathrow is preparing for more chaos in the upcoming month, as UK union members are calling for strikes during the Easter break in April.
In case you are wondering, the 15 March strike took place to raise concerns over workers’ pay, working conditions, and jobs.
According to Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary, these strikes are happening because of ministers who refuse to hold discussions with union members and compensate workers adequately.
Reasons For UK Border Force Strikes
You should know that these strikes are part of a larger industrial action coordinated by thousands of civil servants. Different public bodies, including 100,000 PCS members in 214 government departments, voted to hold strikes.
Union members demand a 10% increase in pay to deal with unbearable inflation of 10.6%.
The PCS General Secretary agreed that the strikes would lead to disruption, but workers have no other choice than to take industrial action because of increased costs of living.
He further added that workers are unable to turn on the heating while being forced to use food banks. He believes that the government can put an end to these strikes within a day by simply offering more money to the workers.
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