Eurostar is facing travel chaos in the lead-up to Christmas when security staff strike for four days in a dispute over pay.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union employed by a private contractor will walk out on December 16, 18, 22 and 23 after voting 4-1 in favour of industrial action.
The RMT said the strike will "severely affect" Eurostar services and travel plans for people over the pre-Christmas period.
The news throws a big spanner in the works for those heading to or back from the Continent to see friends and family over the festive period.
Eurostar is generally the quickest and most environmentally friendly way to get to destinations in France and Belgium.
More than 100 security staff, employed by facilities management company Mitie, are involved in the dispute.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Eurostar security staff are essential to the running of Eurostar, and it is disgraceful they are not being paid a decent wage.
"They work long, unsocial hours and a multimillion-pound company like Mitie can easily afford to pay them decently for the essential work they do.
"We do not want to disrupt people's travel plans, but our members need a pay rise, and this is the only way management will listen.
"I urge Mitie and Eurostar to come to a negotiated settlement with RMT as soon as possible."
The strikes will coincide with other walkouts on the railways.
RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators will strike on December 16, while workers who clean trains and railway stations are striking on December 22 and 23.
Mitie said in a statement: "We're disappointed that RMT has made the decision to undertake industrial action, given we have already offered a significant pay increase and pay negotiations are ongoing. We remain open to continuing these discussions.
"In addition, we recently announced a £10 winter support package, designed to help the lowest-paid colleagues across Mitie with the rising cost of living.
"As always, our priority is to ensure that exceptional services are delivered as normal so that passengers are able to continue their journeys with minimal disruption."
Eurostar addresses the strikes on its Twitter feed, writing: "We're aware that RMT have announced strike action amongst Mitie security staff members in December. Negotiations between Mitie and the Unions are ongoing. In the event of timetable changes, we will contact affected customers and publish updates here: https://rb.gy/4unhl6."
The Eurostar strikes come in addition to other walk-outs planned by RMT workers on domestic UK rail lines.
Industrial action will be held across four 48-hour periods on 13-14 and 16-17 December, and 3-4 and 6-7 January.
Simon Emeny, the boss of pub chain Fullers, this week warned that the walk-outs could be the nail in the coffin for many pubs who are struggling after the Covid lockdowns and as costs spiral.
"It's been a challenging two or three years for hospitality, so we are all looking at this Christmas as a chance to trade well ahead of what will probably be a tricky winter and these train strikes are going to impact the hospitality sector - but more importantly, hospitality workers," he told the BBC.
"They will probably have hours cut, see tips significantly reduced if these train strikes still happen. We are positive about Christmas but the train strikes are a big problem for the sector."
