British passport officers under the auspices of the Public and Commercial Services Union, PCS, have embarked on a five-week strike, a development that further frustrated the long-running dispute.
Multiple reports claimed that the union members, numbering 1,000 left their work in eight locations amid the growing concerns of poor pay, unfavourable working conditions, and unpaid pensions amongst other issues.
According to PCS General Secretary, Mark Serwotka, the strike action by the passport officers escalated the long-running dispute.
The PCS chief revealed that picket lines would be set up outside the offices in Glasgow, Durham, Liverpool, Southport, Peterborough, London, Belfast, and Newport in Wales, as part of a move to effect the strike.
While noting that the union members who take part in the industrial action would be supported by a strike fund, Serwotka said he had written the incumbent British administration, requesting immediate negotiations to settle the conflict.
Following agreements with unions representing teachers and health workers, The PCS General Secretary charged ministers with treating their personnel differently from those in the public sector.
Meanwhile, almost 130,000 government employees are expected to walk out nationally on April 28 as part of the union’s intensifying strike action.
According to the Home Office, the passport office has already processed more than 2.7 million applications this year.
The Home Office also stated that the majority of standard applications—over 99.7%—were submitted to consumers well before this deadline and that processing time for most of them averaged 10 weeks.
However, there are presently no plans to amend official guidelines, which specify that obtaining a passport might take up to ten weeks.
