Passengers arriving into UK airports tomorrow (May 10) should prepare themselves for delays and disruption, as Border Agency staff stage a walkout in dispute over pensions.
The Immigration Service Union (ISU), which represents around 4,500 Border Agency employees, is to strike for 24 hours from 00.01 tomorrow.
The industrial action has been called over planned changes to pensions, with the union stating that “ISU members cannot work until their late 60s. Their jobs are too physically demanding”.
British Airways said it was “planning to operate a normal schedule and will continue to speak with the UK Border Agency in order to minimise any inconvenience to arriving passengers".
A spokesperson for BAA added: “The Home Office has assured us it has tried and tested contingency plans in place to minimise any disruption caused by a strike. At the moment we are not advising passengers to change their plans.”
Gatwick airport’s website is carrying the following message: “The UK Border Force is taking industrial action for 24 hours from 00.01 on Thursday May 10. During the planned strike, we will be working closely with UKBF to make sure that there’s as little disruption as possible to airport operations, however, passengers may experience some delays at the Border Zone.”
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The strike will add further pressure on the government and UKBA, with reports of long queues for immigration at Heathrow in recent weeks, and calls for extra staff to be employed to cope with demand.