The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Border worker strike expected to cause chaos

Border worker strike expected to cause chaos
3 May 2012
Sophie Mihell-Hale
Avatar
Sophie Mihell-Hale
3 May 2012

The Immigration Service Union (ISU) has announced plans of a nationwide strike next Thursday 10th May, with up to 4,600 border workers expected to walk out in a dispute over pensions.

The news comes in the wake of criticism of Heathrow Airport’s immigration queues. It was revealed by BAA this week that some passengers arriving into the country in April waited up to three hours in passport control. This is more than double the target waiting time limit of 45 minutes. 

Next week’s strike is expected to cause yet more chaos to border activity. 

The discontent comes over the government’s plans to make border force employees work longer and contribute more only to receive less on retirement. Immigration workers will now join up to 200,000 other public workers in a nationwide public sector strike on 10th May. 

Home secretary Theresa May and UK Border Force bosses are meeting airline officials to discuss contingency plans to deal with the disruption. Procedures have been drawn up to draft in military police and civil service employees to work immigration desks and passengers have been advised not to cancel under promises of “minimal” disruption. 

However, there have been warnings that waiting times will take even longer due to stand-in staff lacking the appropriate training and practice for such busy travel hubs. On an average weekday around 250,000 people fly into British airports. This does not take into account those arriving into the country by sea and rail, services that are also expected to be affected by the strike. 

It has also been reported that the strife has spread to Eurotunnel stations on the continent, with terminals in Calais, Paris and Brussels bracing themselves for the walkout.

Another fear is a lapse in security, as workers attempt to process people more quickly to reduce queues in busy periods. 

The strikes have been condemned as putting yet more pressure on immigration controls that are already taking a toll on the economy. 

Simon Walker, director-general of the Institute of Directors, said: “The current problems at Heathrow are bad enough without strikes adding to the chaos. Our border controls are an international embarrassment, putting British jobs and economic growth at risk, and this strike will make that worse.”

Sophie Mihell-Hale

Related Items

More in Uncategorised

The Road Dance

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

The Innocents

★★★★★
Emma Kiely
Read More

Benediction

★★★★★
Lauren Devine
Read More

Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Three-Michelin-star restaurants L’Effervescence and SingleThread announce first post-Covid collaboration in Tokyo

Food Desk
Read More

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs at Soho Theatre

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

The Buddhist on Death Row by David Sheff

★★★★★
Laura Boyle
Read More

Top tips for readers to celebrate their artistic side

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Ladies’ fashion: Seven wardrobe staples for summer
    Fashion & Lifestyle
  • Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Operation Mincemeat at Riverside Studios
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Viagra Boys at the Forum
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Buddhist on Death Row by David Sheff
    ★★★★★
    Literature
  • The Road Dance
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Innocents
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Benediction
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Three-Michelin-star restaurants L’Effervescence and SingleThread announce first post-Covid collaboration in Tokyo
    Food & Drinks
  • Operation Mincemeat at Riverside Studios
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Viagra Boys at the Forum
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • “There’s something very tender if you reconnect with your parents when they’re falling into pieces”: Gaspar Noé on Vortex
    Cinema & Tv
  • Tool at the O2 Arena
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin)
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Race for Champions League places going down to the wire: All the permutations ahead of the penultimate Premier League weekend
Europe and US pressure Ukraine over Tymoshenko scandal