The Public and Industrial Providers (PCS) union has introduced plans for greater than 1,000 Passport Workplace staff to take 5 weeks of commercial motion, over what it mentioned was “a long-running dispute over pay, pensions, redundancy phrases and job safety”.
The strike is about to happen between April 3 and Might 5, and can contain PCS union members at places of work in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport.
As well as PCS mentioned that Passport Workplace workers in Northern Eire “might nicely be a part of the motion”, topic to the results of a poll which closes right now (March 17).
The union warned that the walkout “is prone to have a major impression on the supply of passports because the summer time approaches”.
“This escalation of our motion has come about as a result of, in sharp distinction with different components of the general public sector, ministers have failed to carry any significant talks with us, regardless of two large strikes and sustained, focused motion lasting six months,” mentioned PCS Common Secretary Mark Serwotka.
“Their strategy is additional proof they’re treating their very own workforce worse than anybody else. They’ve had six months to resolve this dispute however for six months have refused to enhance their 2 per cent imposed pay rise, and failed to handle our members’ different problems with concern.
“They appear to assume in the event that they ignore our members, they’ll go away. However how can our members ignore the cost-of-living disaster when 40,000 civil servants are utilizing foodbanks and 45,000 of them are claiming the advantages they administer themselves?
“It’s a nationwide scandal and a stain on this authorities’s status that so a lot of its personal workforce live in poverty.”
The commercial motion is the newest in a sequence of strikes over pay disputes within the UK – the primary of 4 days of UK-wide rail strikes befell yesterday (March 16), with additional motion set for March 18, March 30 and April 1.
Earlier this 12 months HM Passport Workplace introduced plans to extend the charges for brand spanking new and renewed purposes from subsequent month, with the cost for the standard grownup on-line software produced from throughout the UK rising from £75.50 to £82.50 from February 2.
British passport charges set to extend from February
