Brits warned of Christmas travel chaos as Border Force staff vote to strike

BRITS looking forward to jetting off somewhere this Christmas are being warned of travel chaos as Border Force staff vote to strike.

Passengers hoping to see their loved ones over the festive season face long delays if the industrial action goes ahead due to the reduced staff at borders.

This is due to the “profound insult” of a three per cent pay rise to workers, which has been proposed by the Home Office.

Approximately 3,500 Border Force workers are calling for an eight per cent pay rise, reports The Express.

The workers, represented by the Union for Borders, Immigration, and Custom (the ISU) – will take part in a ballot over potential strike action in the coming week.

If the strike goes ahead it could see fewer Border Force, visa officers, and immigration personnel, leading to longer queues at airports and ports.

Mark Gribbin, the ISU’s general secretary said the cost of living crisis makes the offered rise a “profound insult” and stressed that the union plans on a “longer period” of “more focused” industrial action.

The union has criticised the Home Office for “[refusing] to engage with our pay claim or to offer any avenue to resolve this dispute constructively”.

Lucy Moreton from the ISU said that as police, ambulance staff, and nursing staff have all been “rightly” recognised for their service through the pandemic and by the Queen during the jubilee, “Borders and Immigration staff have been side-lined and ignored.”

There are 140 airports and ports in the UK, with ISU staff working at all of them.

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