The Christmas and New Year holidays are in danger for anyone who wants to travel to and from the United Kingdom. This is due to strikes in a dispute over pay and conditions by border guards, in charge of passport control.
Concern over disruption has led UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman to advise citizens to rethink their travel. “I urge people to think carefully about their plans, because they may be affected,” he said. She stressed that the stoppages are expected to cause “serious disruptions”. They will affect thousands of people. Furthermore, it is estimated that they could disrupt 30% of flights.
According to The Guardian, more than a thousand border guards are called to strike from December 23-26 and 28-31. This inactivity will affect the following six airports;
Two million passengers are expected to pass through these airports at Christmas, with more than 10,000 scheduled flights. Days affected will include the period from 23 December to Boxing Day inclusive, and from 28 December to New Year’s Eve.
Union members are also expected to strike at Newhaven port in East Sussex and at the Highways Agency on strike dates coordinated with RMT action on the railways, the union said.
Minimising the impact
However, to minimise the impact of the strike, the Ministry of Defense has announced that 600 members of the army will be mobilised to carry out passport control.
