PCS in the media round-up: May 2024

The Heathrow Border Force strike was the big PCS media story of the month. It featured in national and local TV and radio bulletins on BBC and ITV, as well as national newspapers such as the Daily Mail, the Independent, the Telegraph and the Guardian. During the strike itself, it was mentioned in every hourly travel bulletin.

PCS industrial officer Edda Nicolson appeared on LBC News, Times Radio and LBC talking about the dispute. The Mirror headlined their piece ‘London Heathrow chaos as tourists face huge queues amid Border Force strike action’ while the Daily Express reported: ‘Strike madness causes long Heathrow delays’.

In May, we also received coverage of our G4S security strike, the strike and subsequent strike suspension at the National Museums Liverpool, a bedbugs outbreak at HRMC Ipswich, and union derecognition at the Imperial War Museums.

Comparative advertising spend was £1.57m (how much money we would have to spend on advertising to receive the same level of editorial coverage). 

Some prominent stories from May included:

Guardian: British armed forces personnel trained up in case of Border Force strikes over summer

i news: Scrapped Home Office plan to send migrants to Iraq ‘beggars belief’

Guardian: Summary of advice that UK arms sales to Israel not unlawful to be released

Sky News: Border Force to stage more strikes at Heathrow Airport during half term

Guardian: DWP’s unchecked database leaves tens of thousands of carers at risk of debt

Independent: Esther McVey announces civil service rainbow lanyard ban in new Tory culture war

Personnel Today: Minimum service levels judicial review gets green light

Evening Standard: Security guards in Jobcentres vote to strike in dispute over pay

Liverpool Echo: Liverpool museums strike suspended as staff vote on new offer

Ipswich Star: Bedbug problem at tax office still unresolved, claims union

The Art Newspaper: UK’s Imperial War Museum plans to break with two unions