Border Force strike at Heathrow Airport suspended

5 April 2024, 20:33

A four-day strike by Border Force staff at Heathrow Airport has been suspended, it has been confirmed.

More than 600 members of staff had planned to walk out in April in a dispute over roster changes.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), who are responsible for immigration controls and passport checks, were planning to walk out from 11 to 14 April.

Industrial action was planned due to a dispute over rosters - which the union claimed could force hundreds of staff members out of employment.

The PCS said that until now “the Home Office has refused to withdraw its proposals to amend the new roster in any meaningful way”, but that following the Home Office’s desire for clarification and in a “spirit of collaboration”, it had suspended the planned strikes.

Fran Heathcote, PCS general secretary, said "this does not end the dispute" but the Home Office could show it was "genuinely seeking a resolution".

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She added: "If the Home Office does not engage in meaningfully addressing members' grievances, strikes will be resumed and further escalated."

Before the walkout was called off, the Home Office had said it had "robust plans" to minimise delays.