PCS announces 23 days of industrial action by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport

The 650 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will be on strike from August 31 to September 3, then working-to-rule and refusing to work overtime until September 22.

The long-running dispute about enforced changes to terms and conditions – including the introduction of inflexible rosters – began in April.

Since then, around 160 staff have left the Border Force because of the lack of flexibility while 82% have been told they cannot be accommodated in their current roles, with part-timers and partially retired staff being forced to change their working hours and practices. New staff being recruited are having new flexible working applications refused.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our hard-working members at Heathrow take great pride in keeping our country’s border safe, but many are being forced out of the job they love.

“They’re being told by managers to choose between caring responsibilities and their job, which is no choice at all. The only reason they’re being forced to choose is because their managers are forcing them.

“We know our strike action is likely to cause serious disruption to travellers using Heathrow at the end of the summer, but the strike can be avoided if the employer listens to the concerns of our members.”