World | UK

Passport staff strike over pay, office closures

Travellers making a last-minute dash for a passport could be disappointed as passport workers began a three-day strike on Wednesday over pay and office closures.

  • Reuters
  • Published: 00:03 July 24, 2008
  • Gulf News

London: Travellers making a last-minute dash for a passport could be disappointed as passport workers began a three-day strike on Wednesday over pay and office closures.

Nearly 3,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union working at regional passport offices as well as 68 interview offices were expected to walk out during one of the busiest times of the year.

Interviews will be cancelled while ordinary passport applications are set to face processing delays, the union warned.

The dispute at the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) centres around a below-inflation 2.5 per cent pay offer, which the union says excludes its longer-serving members who will have received no pay rise for the fifth year in a row.

Inflation is currently running at 3.8 per cent - its highest level in more than a decade. They are also striking over the prospect of four of the seven regional offices closing.

Plans have already been drawn up to close the Glasgow passport office which could see more than 100 jobs go, it said.

"The union fears that resources are being diverted from passport processing to the controversial introduction of ID cards," the union said in a statement.

The National Identity Scheme is to be rolled out for the public from 2011/2012, offering everyone a choice of a separate identity card, passport or both.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, added: "The closure of the Glasgow passport office and the threat to a further unnamed three is fuelling the anger over the government's policy of below inflation pay.

  • Rate this article
  • Average reader rating (0 votes) 0 Stars
Tools

Emailing an article to friend is a simple way to share a news item. Your friend will receive an email with your name and email address as well any personal message you choose to send.

The information you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited emails.

This service is not intended to encourage spam, and action may be taken against individuals who maliciously enter personal details of another individual.

Share this article

UK

  1. Wanted man sends in replacement photo

  2. Two British ticketholders share £90m jackpot

  3. Mum dies trying to save son from blaze

  4. Meeting the Queen with pen tucked behind ear!

  5. Brown under fire over Afghanistan policies

  6. Politician could get time in prison after admitting expenses scam

  7. Call for scientific advisers to be free from interference

  8. Hitler 'coached' Germany

All articles in United Kingdom

More from World

Gulf News
Popular in World

More from world

News Editor's choice