Over the holiday season, Border Force employees who check passports at the UK’s borders will be on strike in support of their demand for higher pay.
Prior to the Christmas holiday, when Border Force employees will be on strike, troops have been training at Heathrow and Gatwick airports to perform passport checks.
Armed forces personnel arrived at London’s two main airports earlier this week, the Ministry of Defence confirmed to Sky News.
After rejecting a 2% pay increase offer from the government, Border Force officers will strike at airports from December 23–26 and 28–31, according to a statement released by the PCS union on Wednesday.
Additionally, they will walk out at the ports of Newhaven, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, and Manchester.
About 75% of passport control staff are PCS members, meaning the majority of staff checking passports will be going on strike.
The Cabinet Officer this week said up to 600 military personnel and 700 civil servants were being trained to support a range of services – including Border Force at airports and ports – in the event of strike action.
The Home Office has warned the strikes are likely to lead to longer queues at passport control at one of the busiest times of the year for airports.
Airports have advised travellers to check the status of their flights before travelling.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited an RAF base on Friday where he thanked military personnel for stepping in and missing their Christmas.
“We all owe them an enormous debt of gratitude,” he said.
He added that his priority is to “protect lives and to minimise the disruption on people’s lives” but insisted the government will always “try and act fairly and reasonably” with public sector pay.
“What I’m not going to do is ask ordinary families up and down the country to pay an extra £1,000 a year to meet the pay demands of the union bosses. That wouldn’t be right and it wouldn’t be fair,” he said.