Jakarta –
Britons are at risk of having a hard time getting a passport. Why, more than 1,000 British passport office workers decided to strike for the next five weeks.
Reported from Reuters, On Saturday (18/3/2023) they are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union at most UK passport offices, including in London, Liverpool and Glasgow. They plan to strike from April 3 to May 5.
In a statement, the union will join workers in other sectors who have gone on strike before in recent months. Most of them demand the same thing, namely higher wages to cover the soaring inflation.
“This escalation in our actions has come because, in stark contrast to the rest of the public sector, ministers failed to have meaningful talks with us, despite two massive strikes and targeted and sustained action for six months,” said PCS Secretary General Mark Serwotka.
The PCS union has been demanding a 10% pay rise for civil servants as UK inflation is now running above 10%. The passport officer refused a 2% pay increase.
The government passport office is the only British passport issuer, issuing more than 5 million passports each year. With the strike of employees there will cause significant service disruption.
Britain is experiencing its worst wave of labor unrest since the 1980s, with strikes affecting almost every aspect of daily life. From health and transportation to schools and border checks, as workers demand a raise.
On Wednesday, another 100,000 civil servants, working in government departments, went on strike alongside thousands of other employees including railroad workers, doctors and teachers.
Watch Video “Britain’s Biggest Strike of the Decade“
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