Passengers traveling into or around the United Kingdom during the holiday season will face major disruption due to strikes, and the government has implored people to rethink their plans for Christmas.
Airport workers for the United Kingdom Border Force is scheduled to go on strike from December 23 to 26, and again from December 28 to New Year's Eve.
It will have an effect on services at the United Kingdom's busiest airport, London Heathrow, as well as Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Glasgow. The government confirmed Thursday that soldiers will be brought in to help with passport control and staffing as between 2,000 and 3,000 workers plan to strike.
There would be “undeniable, serious disruption,” warned Suella Braverman, the UK’s interior minister, and added that families and individuals who are planning to travel abroad should “think carefully about their plans because they may well be impacted.”
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the affected airports will see 10,072 flight arrivals totaling more than 2 million seats between December 23 and December 31. One million of them have arrived at Heathrow.
Mark Serwotka, president of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said the government could end the strikes by meeting their demands, which include a pay raise, job security, and no reductions in redundancy terms. Serwotka stated that some of its members used food banks due to low pay.
In the meantime, the rail workers' union, the RMT, has confirmed that strikes will take place on December 13 to 14, December 16 to 17, and from 6 p.m. Christmas Eve through December 27, as well as some days in January On these dates, approximately half of the railways will be closed.
Rail officials have advised passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary and to check their train operator's network for the status of their specific journey. On non-strike days, travel may be disrupted due to trains being in the wrong location.
As a result, some pub and restaurant owners are concerned about a drop in business during what is typically the busiest time of year.
The union is demanding an inflation-adjusted pay increase, a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies until April 2024, and changes to working conditions, which it claims make train travel less safe.
A wave of strike action is expected in the United Kingdom in December, including by postal and ambulance workers.
(Source:www.mirror.co.uk)
Airport workers for the United Kingdom Border Force is scheduled to go on strike from December 23 to 26, and again from December 28 to New Year's Eve.
It will have an effect on services at the United Kingdom's busiest airport, London Heathrow, as well as Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Glasgow. The government confirmed Thursday that soldiers will be brought in to help with passport control and staffing as between 2,000 and 3,000 workers plan to strike.
There would be “undeniable, serious disruption,” warned Suella Braverman, the UK’s interior minister, and added that families and individuals who are planning to travel abroad should “think carefully about their plans because they may well be impacted.”
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the affected airports will see 10,072 flight arrivals totaling more than 2 million seats between December 23 and December 31. One million of them have arrived at Heathrow.
Mark Serwotka, president of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said the government could end the strikes by meeting their demands, which include a pay raise, job security, and no reductions in redundancy terms. Serwotka stated that some of its members used food banks due to low pay.
In the meantime, the rail workers' union, the RMT, has confirmed that strikes will take place on December 13 to 14, December 16 to 17, and from 6 p.m. Christmas Eve through December 27, as well as some days in January On these dates, approximately half of the railways will be closed.
Rail officials have advised passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary and to check their train operator's network for the status of their specific journey. On non-strike days, travel may be disrupted due to trains being in the wrong location.
As a result, some pub and restaurant owners are concerned about a drop in business during what is typically the busiest time of year.
The union is demanding an inflation-adjusted pay increase, a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies until April 2024, and changes to working conditions, which it claims make train travel less safe.
A wave of strike action is expected in the United Kingdom in December, including by postal and ambulance workers.
(Source:www.mirror.co.uk)
