Passport office workers to strike for five weeks over pay dispute

More than 1,000 Passport Office workers volition spell connected onslaught for 5 weeks implicit a quality astir jobs, wage and conditions.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) national moving crossed England, Scotland and Wales volition instrumentality portion successful the enactment from 3 April to 5 May.

Those moving successful Belfast are being balloted and could articulation the strike.

The national warned the enactment is apt to person a "significant impact" connected the transportation of passports up of summer.

More than 4,000 radical are employed by the Passport Office crossed the UK, meaning astir 1 successful 4 workers volition beryllium walking out.

The offices affected successful England, Scotland and Wales volition see Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport

PCS wide caput Mark Serwotka said the quality was implicit an imposed 2% wage emergence not being accrued immoderate further by the government.

He added the onslaught enactment had travel astir due to the fact that "ministers person failed to clasp immoderate meaningful talks with us, contempt 2 monolithic strikes and sustained, targeted enactment lasting six months."

He said: "Their attack is further grounds they're treating their ain workforce worse than anyone else.

"They've had six months to resoluteness this quality but for six months person refused to amended their 2% imposed wage rise, and failed to code our members' different issues of concern."

He went connected to accidental that the authorities was "ignoring our members" implicit their wage concerns would not marque them "go away".

Mr Serwotka said: "But however tin our members disregard the cost-of-living situation erstwhile 40,000 civilian servants are utilizing foodbanks and 45,000 of them are claiming the benefits they administer themselves?

"It's a nationalist ungraded and a stain connected this government's estimation that truthful galore of its ain workforce are surviving successful poverty."

BBC News has contacted the Home Office for a response.

The latest enactment from passport bureau workers comes aft months of strikes implicit wage disputes successful different sectors, specified arsenic obstruction workers, London Underground drivers, teachers, NHS staff, determination BBC journalists, assemblage lecturers and civilian servants.

A connection released by the authorities and healthcare unions said some sides believed the connection represented a "fair and tenable settlement".

The statement does not use to inferior doctors arsenic they are progressive successful a abstracted quality with the government.