Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has urged people to rethink flying during the Christmas break as she warned of “undeniable, serious disruption” for thousands if planned Border Force strikes go ahead.
Her statement follows Wednesday’s announcement that Border Force staff will strike for eight days over the festive period in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Passport checks at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Birmingham airports will be among those disrupted, the PCS union has said. Days affected will be the period from 23 December to Boxing Day, and from 28 December to New Year’s Eve.
In an interview with broadcasters on Thursday, Braverman said: “If they go ahead with those strikes there will be undeniable, serious disruption caused to many thousands of people who have holiday plans. I really want to urge people who have got plans to travel abroad to think carefully about their plans because they may well be impacted.”
The strike is expected to affect hundreds of thousands of people planning to go on holiday. The government has been preparing for the strike by training 600 soldiers to check passports instead.
Braverman confirmed plans to bring in the military, who are also being prepared to cover for striking NHS staff and could be called upon to cover for striking firefighters in the future.
She said: “We have plans in place that will involve, to a degree, bringing in some of our military colleagues to help us in a variety of roles. Ultimately, I’m not willing to compromise on security at the border, that’s the number one priority.
“That may well have an adverse impact on convenience for people, frankly, whether it’s the time they have to wait for flights, or departures; they may well be delayed on arrivals and various travel plans. Ultimately, security at the border is my number one non-negotiable priority.”
Reports have claimed that up to 30% of flights could be cancelled over the Christmas holidays because of the strikes. They take place as the UK faces widespread industrial action throughout December, with railway workers and nurses due to strike next week.
Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary, announced the dates on Wednesday after 100,000 PCS members in 214 government departments and other public bodies voted to take action in support of a 10% pay rise, pensions, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.
Serwotka said he had written to Adm Sir Tony Radakin, head of the armed forces, calling for the withdrawal of British forces from covering for striking workers.
Soldiers have received between three and five days of training so they can cover for Border Force staff, who usually receive between three and five weeks of training before being assigned a mentor for at least a month.
