The union PCS announced on Friday (17 March) that more than 1,000 of its members working for the Passport Office across England, Scotland and Wales will walk out for five weeks as part of a longstanding dispute over jobs and pay.
Passport Office staff working in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport and Southport will down tools between 3 April and 5 May, while PCS members in Northern Ireland are currently being balloted.
Business Travel Association (BTA) boss Clive Wratten said the upcoming industrial action “will impact businesses across the UK resulting in loss of sales and deals” causing further damage to the sector’s post-Covid recovery.
“With over one million applications due to be processed over the strike period we strongly urge the government to come to an agreement with the PCS as soon as possible, to avoid another summer of discontent,” he added.
Wratten’s words were echoed by Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said, who said the strikes “will only add” to the delays people have been facing, as most people last year had to wait for more than 10 weeks for their passport.
“Long waits for passports will inevitably put people off travelling at a time when the outbound travel industry is recovering from the hangover of the pandemic,” Lo Bue-Said added.
“Not only will this strike disrupt planned holidays, and the opportunity to make the most of last minute deals, but will also put further obstacles in the place of business travellers and those visiting family abroad.”
A Home Office spokesperson said the government was working "to manage the impact of strike action, whilst ensuring we can continue to deliver vital services to the public, with comprehensive contingency plans in place."
"There are currently no plans to change our guidance which states that it takes up to ten weeks to get a passport," they added.
This mirrored the words of Abta, which said it had been advised "by His Majesty’s Passport Office that they are making preparations to ensure they continue to meet the needs of their customers during this time.”
