Thousands of British passport office employees to go on month-long strike over pay disparity

Thousands of employees working at the British passport office have decided to hold a protest for a month starting April over pay dispute, potentially disrupting the delivery of passports ahead of the summer holiday period.

More than 1,000 staffersworking atthe passport offices in England, Scotland and Wales will not function from April 3 to May 5, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said, adding that it was a “significant escalation” of its long-running dispute.

“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,” PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said, according to DailyMail.com

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The office staff working in Durham,Glasgow, Liverpool,London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will walk out from April 3 to May 5, while those inBelfastwill strike from April 7 to May 5.

The union has been demanding a 10 per cent pay rise for civil servants as UK inflation has hitover 10 per cent. The top management authority had previously shot down a 2 per cent pay rise proposal.

Each year, the government-operated passport offices issue over 5 million passports. It is feared that a strike by officers will significantly disrupt the holiday services, further straining a system already struggling from its Covid backlog.

The UK is witnessing one of worst waves of labour unrest since the 1980s as the cost-of-living crisis, which has been accentuated by the Covid pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war-induced inflation, continues to dent people’s savings.

Almost every aspect of daily life, from healthcare and transport to schools and border checks, all have been impacted by strikes as workers seek better pay to match the steepest inflation in four decades.

“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?,” Serwotka said.

“It's a national scandal and a stain on this government's reputation that so many of its own workforce are living in poverty,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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