Holidaymakers have been urged to check their passport expiry dates to avoid being caught in the disruption which last year saw families miss holidays due to significant backlogs in processing.
In a "significant escalation" of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said more than 1,000 members will walk out at all seven offices in England, Wales and Scotland from 3 April to 5 May - an estimated 65 per cent of the workforce. An eighth office in Belfast is likely to join the strike later.
The union says the walkout will have a "significant impact" on the delivery of passports as the summer approaches. At peak times - including April - the Passport Office can receive 250,000 applications per week. Union sources told The Independent that passport offices were already seeing a surge in applications after the strikes were announced, with queues forming outside some buildings today across England, including London.
Downing Street said ministers would work to "mitigate" the impact of strikes by Passport Office staff, but said there are no plans to change guidance that people should allow 10 weeks to get a passport. Government sources claimed there was currently no backlog in passport applications and that more than 97 per cent of passports were processed within three weeks. But travel and tourism industry insiders say the strike action will have a disastrous effect on the UK economy due to a loss of sales and deals caused by disruption.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 18, 2023 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 18, 2023 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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