Border Force (PCS) Strike Calendar

Members belonging to the PCS union employed by Border Force Maritime are scheduled to take strike action on Friday, November 14th.

The industrial action is a result of frozen allowances and unaddressed changes concerning their employment terms and conditions.

The duties performed by these workers involve patrolling to prevent smuggling or unauthorized entry into the UK, inspecting vessels, and emergency responses at sea.

These roles also include cooperation with specialized military units for matters related to counter-terrorism and narcotics.

Workers are expressing significant dissatisfaction over a waiting period exceeding six years for the outcomes of a payment review concerning their specialized role allowances.

Despite several months of discussions, the employer has reportedly failed to address the union's concerns and has consistently missed formal proposal deadlines.

The strike action aims to emphasize the critical, perilous, and demanding nature of the work undertaken by these maritime personnel.

There is a call for management to engage in constructive dialogue to achieve a fair resolution that acknowledges the complexity and challenges of the work performed.

More than 120 Border Force Maritime workers who patrol UK waters, including the English Channel, will take strike action on Friday 14 November in protest over frozen allowances and unresolved changes to terms and conditions. The members’ dangerous, complex, demanding and sometimes harrowing roles include patrolling for smuggling or unauthorised entry into the UK, boarding vessels for inspection, rapid response to incidents at sea (including small boats crossings), and working with Special Forces on counter-terrorism, piracy, and narcotics operations.

There is currently a variety of rates and allowances for staff who perform the same roles. While the Home Office’s proposed move to the ‘Annualised Hours Allowance’ (which compensates employees for working irregular and demanding shift patterns) offers some standardisation, it needs adaptation to properly account for the complexity of these employees’ roles.

PCS members working on patrol boats, whose duties include searching for and identifying vessels at sea engaged in smuggling or small boats crossings, have voted yes for strike action by 96% to 4% against on a turnout of 80%. The more than 120 Border Force Maritime workers who were balloted are angered at having to wait more than six years for the result of a payment review into allowances for their specialist roles.

Border Force management has repeatedly failed to meet its own deadlines to present final proposals to the union. The latest date management promised to present proposals to staff – on the week beginning 6 October – came and went with no progress. Management has given assurances about backdating these allowances to 1 April 2025, but PCS believes it may be months before these extra payments are received because proposals have not been forthcoming.

The 650 PCS members who work in passport control at terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 at Heathrow have been in dispute with their employer after a new roster was imposed in April. Since then, around 160 staff have left because of the lack of flexibility and changes to the shifts. Read personal testimonies from the members. Women and those with caring responsibilities have been particularly affected by these changes, and the new roster has seen long-standing and loyal staff forced out of employment in order to manage childcare and family commitments. New staff have been refused flexible working applications, despite changes to the law allowing employees to make a statutory request for permanent changes to their contract from day one.

The new strike dates announced are four days from August 31 to 3 September, which will be followed by another work-to-rule and overtime ban until 22 September.

Around 250 of them will lose their jobs at passport control under new roster plans, the union says. Strikes planned for last week were suspended amid hopes of talks to resolve the row, but the union has now reinstated industrial action.

In the notice issued to the Home Office on 28 March of our intention to induce members to strike, PCS outlined which Border Force roles would be participating. Following the Home Office’s desire for clarification and in a spirit of collaboration, PCS has suspended the planned strikes. Until now, the Home Office has refused to withdraw its proposals or to amend the new roster in any meaningful way. An overwhelming 90% of members voted for strike action, knowing that they deserve better from their employer. The suspension of the strike gives the Home Office the opportunity to resolve the dispute. If there is no progress in the talks, strike action will take place.

In a ballot that closed last week, PCS members who carry out immigration controls and passport checks at Heathrow airport voted by 90% to walk out over a new roster and imposed changes to shift patterns. The changes could see as many as 250 staff forced out of their jobs by the end of April and will particularly affect workers with disabilities or those with caring responsibilities.

• 1,000 Border Force officers to go on strike in Dover, Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk for 4 days at the end of February half term school holidays
• Serwotka places blame on ministers who are refusing to offer money and are waiting until next year
• Many civil servants are struggling to make ends meet and having to claim benefits they administer and go to food banks

• Civil servants received only 2 days of training before covering striking Border Force staff, instead of the usual 3 weeks.
• During first strikes in December, armed services and Whitehall staff received 5-7 days of training before covering duties such as passport control, drug smuggling, people trafficking, and modern slavery.
• National Crime Agency (NCA) staff in Calais received only 2 days of training before covering at passport control.
• The Home Office denies claims that contingency staff did not receive sufficient training.
• It is unclear if NCA staff were authorized to detain people due to lack of IS81 form training, which gives immigration officers the authority to detain.
• Military staff covering for striking personnel at passport control do not have power to detain suspects of criminal activity.
• PCS union says the border is not safe with untrained staff and asks if they are capable of making necessary checks.
• Heathrow airport reported smooth operations during the strike on Wednesday.
• Leaked figures showed 95% drop in people stopped at Heathrow over 3 strike days in December, compared to same period in 2021.
• PCS union calls for 10% pay rise, pensions deal, job security, and no cuts in redundancy terms for its members.
• Home Office and National Crime Agency deny claims of 2 days' training for contingency staff.

Border Force staff at six UK airports and a passenger ferry port are set to strike over the Christmas period in a dispute over pay. Members of the Public and Commercial Services union will walk out at Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow and Manchester airports, as well as at Newhaven’s passenger ferry port, on 23-26 December and 28-31 December. Manchester Airport has warned that cancellations are likely, while the Home Office has said delays processing arrivals are probable. Military personnel, civil servants and volunteers are being trained to support Border Force during the strikes.