An updated entry in the independent UK Strike Action Calendar on 29 March shows the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union moving to a formal ballot of Border Force officers at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and major seaports after talks with the Cabinet Office stalled last week. The union is demanding an above-inflation pay rise and the conversion of hundreds of temporary contracts to permanent status before the peak Easter travel period that begins on 11 April.
![Border Force staff edge closer to Easter strike, raising prospect of airport queues]()
For travellers who may suddenly need to adjust their immigration plans, VisaHQ can prove invaluable. The company’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time updates on visa requirements, expedited processing options and hands-on support, helping business and leisure passengers alike navigate any disruption caused by potential Border Force walk-outs.
If the ballot, set to close on 5 April, returns a ‘yes’ vote, staff could legally walk out with just seven days’ notice—potentially from 12 April, smack in the middle of the school-holiday rush. Heathrow handled more than 6.4 million passengers last April; aviation analysts estimate that a 48-hour walk-out by passport officers could push immigration-hall waiting times beyond three hours for arriving long-haul flights. Airlines UK, the industry lobby group, has written to the Home Secretary urging contingency measures, including the rapid training of civil servants to man eGates and the relaxation of biometric exit checks for outbound travellers. Business-travel managers are already drafting rerouting options via Dublin or Amsterdam for critical staff in case queues become untenable. The PCS says understaffing has been made worse by the full enforcement of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme on 25 February, which added screening steps for tens of thousands of visa-exempt visitors each day. "Members are being asked to police a brand-new digital border with 2019 staffing levels," the union argues. For global-mobility teams the immediate priority is contingency planning: advise inbound assignees to allow at least four hours between landing and onward rail or domestic flight connections, and consider premium-lane services where available. Employers sponsoring Skilled Worker visas should also anticipate delays in biometric enrolment appointments if strike action spreads to UK Visa & Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) centres, many of which are staffed by the same contractor.
For travellers who may suddenly need to adjust their immigration plans, VisaHQ can prove invaluable. The company’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time updates on visa requirements, expedited processing options and hands-on support, helping business and leisure passengers alike navigate any disruption caused by potential Border Force walk-outs.
If the ballot, set to close on 5 April, returns a ‘yes’ vote, staff could legally walk out with just seven days’ notice—potentially from 12 April, smack in the middle of the school-holiday rush. Heathrow handled more than 6.4 million passengers last April; aviation analysts estimate that a 48-hour walk-out by passport officers could push immigration-hall waiting times beyond three hours for arriving long-haul flights. Airlines UK, the industry lobby group, has written to the Home Secretary urging contingency measures, including the rapid training of civil servants to man eGates and the relaxation of biometric exit checks for outbound travellers. Business-travel managers are already drafting rerouting options via Dublin or Amsterdam for critical staff in case queues become untenable. The PCS says understaffing has been made worse by the full enforcement of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme on 25 February, which added screening steps for tens of thousands of visa-exempt visitors each day. "Members are being asked to police a brand-new digital border with 2019 staffing levels," the union argues. For global-mobility teams the immediate priority is contingency planning: advise inbound assignees to allow at least four hours between landing and onward rail or domestic flight connections, and consider premium-lane services where available. Employers sponsoring Skilled Worker visas should also anticipate delays in biometric enrolment appointments if strike action spreads to UK Visa & Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) centres, many of which are staffed by the same contractor.
