Starting tomorrow, over 1,000 Passport Office workers across eight sites will launch a five-week strike over a dispute regarding jobs, pay, pensions, and conditions. Members of the Public and

Commercial Services union (PCS) will set up picket lines outside offices in Glasgow, Durham, Liverpool, Southport, Peterborough, London, Belfast, and Newport in Wales. The PCS has urged the government to hold urgent talks to resolve the issue. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka accused the government of treating its employees unfairly by negotiating with unions representing health workers and teachers but not with the PCS. The union has planned a nationwide walkout of over 130,000 civil servants on April 28th.

The Home Office, which oversees the Passport Office, has stated that it has already processed over 2.7 million passport applications this year, with over 99.7% of standard applications processed within 10 weeks. The majority of those passports were delivered to customers within that timescale or even earlier. Nevertheless, the strike could impact travel plans for individuals waiting for their passports to arrive.

Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport has reported that its security lanes are flowing well despite the ongoing security guard strike. An airport spokesperson stated that contingency plans are working efficiently, and there have been no last-minute cancellations at Heathrow due to the strike. Any cancellations have been agreed and planned in advance, giving passengers notice of changes in their travel arrangements. Photo by dannyman, Wikimedia commons.