Four in five striking Heathrow Border Force officers suffer from stress at work

Four in five striking Heathrow Border Force officers suffer from stress at work, a new survey shows.

650 Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members working at terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, are tomorrow (Saturday) walking out for four days in their long-running dispute about the introduction of inflexible rosters.

They will then work-to-rule and refuse to work overtime from September 4 – 22.

In a survey carried out by their union, 79.1% of respondents revealed work regularly made them feel anxious or stressed, with 27% saying they had taken time off due to stress or related mental health reasons since the introduction of the new rosters in April, and 87.5% regularly worrying about managing home commitments around work commitments.

Other shock findings show:

• 79% feel pressured to work longer hours
• just 6% feel supported at work, and
• just 4.4% trust senior managers to make good decisions about their working environment

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “This survey shows how badly our members’ wellbeing is being affected by the new roster system.

“These inflexible rosters are preventing parents dropping off and picking up their children from school. Managers could easily resolve the issue by allowing greater flexibility and by agreeing fixed shifts that give our members the chance to plan their caring responsibilities.”

ends

There will be a picket line at the Nene roundabout off the Bath Road near Heathrow Airport from 9am 11am. The PCS contact on the picket line is Nathan Edgeworth on 07709 802 402.