UK TREND : Border Force strikes causes panic amongst travellers

فريق التحرير 23 December 2022

Due to the start of Border Force strikes, approximately a quarter of a million passengers are expected to experience delays at UK airports on Friday. At Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, and Manchester airports and at the port of Newhaven in East Sussex, around 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union will walk out. Flyers leaving UK airports or arriving on those days have been panicked by this. People are stressed due to the uncertainty since they don’t know what to expect and how to avoid distributions during the holiday season when everyone is rushing home.

Twitter users have been asking their airlines and airports if the strikes will affect them.

Border Force strikes cause major disruptions

building interior photograph — *UK Border Force strikes (unsplash)*

During this difficult time, more expert travellers have offered moral support by giving advice to other travellers. According to Rob Staines’ tweet “If you’re flying, check your airline’s flight status and leave plenty of time” he said “patience will be necessary” considering the situation.

Trains to and from major airports will halt from mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve, coinciding with a strike by thousands of rail workers.

Families with small children could experience the largest disruption on Friday as 1,000 passport staff begin a week-long strike at six airports, including Heathrow.

In most cases, adults will be able to use electronic gates instead of waiting for manual checks by military personnel and volunteers filling in for strikers. Children under the age of 12 cannot use the scanners, however.

Civil Service volunteers and military personnel have been trained to assist. However, members of the public, especially the families and friends of armed forces personnel, have expressed disapproval of the military’s intervention. This is because these individuals won’t be able to spend Christmas with their families. (https://www.saasgenius.com/) Furthermore, they stated that they would cover individuals who make much higher wages than military personnel.

People affected by disruption have been encouraged to vent their anger at the government, according to PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka. Mr Serwotka said he had talked with ministers but never discussed pay.

“The Government could stop these strikes tomorrow if it puts more money on the table,” he said. Employees of Border Force are experiencing the cost-of-living issue, just like so many other workers. They need help desperately. Twitter users have followed Mr. Serwotka’s suggestion and used social media platforms to criticise the conservative government, who are truly to blame for any strike-related disruptions.

The Border Force strikes will occur every day from Friday the 23^rd of December through the end of the year, with the exception of December 27, thus travellers have been advised to expect delays at airports.