British Passport Inspectors Will Go On Five-week Strike

A salary disagreement may cause the majority of British passport office employees to walk off the job for five weeks beginning in April, which might delay the issue of passports in time for the summer vacation.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said on Friday that more than 1,000 members who work at the majority of the UK’s passport offices, including those in Glasgow, Liverpool, and London, will strike from April 3 to May 5.

They join British employees from other industries who have gone on strike recently in demand of greater pay to compensate rising inflation.

If enough people choose to walk out in a poll that concludes on Friday, passport officials in Belfast, Northern Ireland, may also go on strike.

“This escalation of our action has resulted from the ministers’ failure to have any real negotiations with us, in striking contrast to other sectors of the public sector, after two large strikes and prolonged, targeted action lasting six months,” said Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS.

Given that UK inflation is now slightly over 10%, the PCS union has asked a 10% salary increase for government officials. An increase in wages of 2% was previously rejected by passport officials.

As over five million UK passports are issued by the government’s passport offices annually, any strike by the employees there would probably result in a serious interruption of services.

As employees want wage increases that better reflect the worst inflation in forty years, Britain is seeing the greatest wave of labor unrest since the 1980s, with strikes impacting practically every facet of everyday life, from healthcare and transportation to schools and border checks.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of workers participated in a walkout, including teachers, railroad workers, and other public servants who work for government agencies.