UK immigration officer strikes had marginal impact on travellers

The 48-hour strike by a minority of UK Border Agency staff resulted in only minimal distruction to travelling passengers, the UK Border Agency has announced.

UK Visa

The strike was focused on the border controls, where customs and UK immigration checks are carried out, but the level of disruption across the country was generally low and the security of the border maintained.

Around 2,500 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) went on the two-day strike over proposed changes to working practices.

Mark Serwotka, general secreatary for the PCS, said: “Far from saving money, these plans will increase costs unless there are also job cuts, and we believe this is what UKBA is planning.”

"Our members perform vital roles in keeping our borders secure and we cannot accept cuts or changes that put this at risk."

Brodie Clark, head of the UK Border Agency's border force, said: “We monitored and managed the impacts of the strike, which was variable across the country. Our contingency plans were effective and the disruption to the public in most ports was marginal.”

The UK Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with their UK Visa applications to the British Embassy.