People hoping to get a new passport in time for the summer holidays should take action sooner or later after it was announced that passport workers will go on strike.
More than 1,000 Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members working in Passport Offices in England, Scotland, and Wales will take part in industrial action from April 3 to May 5. This will include workers in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough, and Southport.
Meanwhile, workers in Belfast will stage a walkout from April 7 to May 5. It comes after the union said there was a "significant escalation" in its long-running dispute, highlighting that the strike will have a "significant impact" on the delivery of passports.
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PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This escalation of our action has come about because, in sharp contrast with other parts of the public sector, ministers have failed to hold any meaningful talks with us, despite two massive strikes and sustained, targeted action lasting six months.
“Their approach is further evidence they’re treating their own workforce worse than anyone else. They’ve had six months to resolve this dispute but for six months have refused to improve their 2% imposed pay rise, and failed to address our members’ other issues of concern.
“They seem to think if they ignore our members, they’ll go away. But how can our members ignore the cost-of-living crisis when 40,000 civil servants are using foodbanks and 45,000 of them are claiming the benefits they administer themselves?
“It’s a national scandal and a stain on this government’s reputation that so many of its own workforce are living in poverty.”
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