Warning of travel delays during pension strike
Travellers are warned of delays at ports and airports on Thursday as immigration staff join a public sector strike. A union leader tells Channel 4 News the fight for pensions is worth the disruption.
People are being advised to consider travelling on alternative dates if possible as staff from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) are set to strike as members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union.
Queues for arrivals at airports and ports could become disrupted as passport control staff join the walkout in a bitter dispute over pension reform. Passengers leaving the UK may escape the disruption, but have been warned a knock-on effect could delay travel.
Passengers travelling to the UK on Thursday are advised to check with their travel operator for the latest information on delays.
I don’t believe there is an case for industrial action tomorrow. David Cameron
Some airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, have said they are working closely with the Border Agency to minimise disruption and will keep passengers informed with check-in and onboard announcements.
Travellers who are able to delay their journey to another day are being urged to do so. UKBA urged passengers to have all the necessary travel documents ready so as not to delay border control.
Jonathan Sedgwick, acting Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, said: “We will do everything we can to minimise disruption and inconvenience to travellers, but our priority will always be to ensure the UK border remains secure.”
The disruption is likely to start at different times in different ports and airports, and have varying impacts, because each location has different shift patterns. International rail terminals could also be affected, the agency said, but it stressed that there were contingency plans for all border points.
A spokeswoman for airport operator BAA, which runs Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports, said: “We have been informed by UK Border Agency that arriving passengers should expect delays at the UK border on Thursday as a result of industrial action by immigration officers.
“UK Border Agency are advising that passengers who can do so may wish to travel on other dates.”
Eurostar said it would not be affected by industrial action, adding that it was running two extra trains between Paris and London on Thursday to cope with expected extra demand.
Southampton airport said today it was not expecting disruption for passengers from strike action.
PCS chief Mark Serwotka told Channel 4 News people should be focusing on the reason workers had been forced to strike, rather than the disruption.
“Passport officers, customs officials would not be striking without very good reason and they have an extremely good reason here – to defend their future in retirement,” he said.
“We striking now because the Government’s made it absolutely clear to make our members work eight years longer, pay thousands of pounds more and get half the pension they currently get.
“We regret any disruption but frankly the inconvenience that people will face for a 24 hour strike is nothing compared to the long term inconvenience of loosing jobs, services and dedicated public sector working professionals from our frontline.”
Scale of the strike
Up to 750,000 teachers, lecturers, civil servants and other workers are due to strike on Thursday in a bitter row with the Government over pensions reform.
The scale of the strike is becoming clear, with thousands of schools, jobcentres, tax offices and courts set to be closed or disrupted. There will also be picket lines around Government departments, and driving tests will be cancelled.
Four unions are taking part in the walkout, with hundreds of thousands of teaching staff expected to walkout for 24 hours. An estimated 85 per cent of schools in England and Wales will partially or completely close.
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday Prime Minister David Cameron said the pensions deal was “fair”, and told the public sector workers they were wrong to go on strike.
“I don’t believe there is an case for industrial action tomorrow, not least because talks are still ongoing,” he told MPs.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to see “as many parents as possible” able to take their children to school tomorrow.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Cameron attacked Labour leader Ed Miliband for being “in the pocket of the unions”.
On Tuesday Mr Miliband said he thought Thursday’s strike was a “mistake” and urged union members not to walkout while insisting the Government is to blame for “botching reform”.
As a contingency plan, Education Secretary Michael Gove said earlier this week that volunteers who had already been checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) could help to keep schools open.
Business leaders warned the strike would have a “significant impact” on business confidence and inward investment. The British Chambers of Commerce said disruption caused by the 24 hour walkout would lead to many parents taking the day off work to look after their children.
The public remains deeply split over the strike, according to a poll by YouGov published in The Sun newspaper. It found that 40 per cent supported the industrial action while 49 per cent opposed it. Some 47 per cent were against the pension reforms, while 37 per cent were in favour.
