Holiday chaos as hundreds of Border Force workers prepare to go on strike at Heathrow Airport
16 August 2024, 19:48 | Updated: 19 August 2024, 11:03
Hundreds of Border Force workers are set to go on strike at Heathrow Airport as families prepare to jet off ahead of the August bank holiday.
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Holidaymakers face travel chaos at the London travel hub as immigration officers announced a 23 day walkout on Friday.
The strike action, which is set to begin at the end of August, will see staff strike after around 160 Border Force staff because of a lack of working flexibility.
It comes as train drivers announced 22 days of strike action, including action across every weekend until November despite a pay deal being on the table.
Hundreds of members of the Aslef union working for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) announced the walkout on Friday, taking in every Saturday between August 31 and November 9, as well as every Sunday from September 1 to November 10.
LNER operates trains running on the East Coast main line between London and Edinburgh, causing major disruption to the network.
Around 650 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) at Heathrow are set to walk out between August 31 and September 3.
Heathrow, which remains Britain's busiest airport, will then see workers refuse to work overtime up until September 22.
The long-running dispute relates to changes to Border Force employee terms and conditions at the hub.
Read more: LNER train drivers set to walk out almost every weekend from end of August until November
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It means the proposed action is set to impact those hoping to travel on the final days of the school holidays.
It comes as Labour were accused of prioritising their union paymasters over rail passengers this summer following a string of deals with striking workers engaged in pay and conditions disputes.
The public sector pay deals by Labour include a 22 per cent hike over two years for junior doctors.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We appreciate the tireless work that Border Force do to keep our borders safe and secure, and we are committed to continuing our conversations with the union so we can find an agreement that works for both the public and staff.
“We will have robust plans in place to minimise disruption where possible, but we urge passengers to check the latest advice from operators before they travel.”
