More UK passport office workers to join strike next month

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union will join staff already on strike

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union on a picket line at the start of a five-week strike by Passport Office workers in London on April 3. AFP

More workers at the Passport Office are set to join their colleagues in a strike next month in an escalation of industrial action.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union in all Passport Offices will walk out for four days at the start of May.

Although union members have been on strike since the start of the month, it has been limited to some staff in some offices.

Almost 2,000 PCS passport examiners in Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport have been on strike since April 3 in the union’s long-running dispute over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and jobs.

They will be joined from May 2 to 6 by 1,000 workers in non-examination roles such as administration, anti-fraud, policy and commercial in the same offices, as well as interview officers in Birmingham, Corby, Hemel Hempstead, Leeds, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Plymouth from May 3-6.

Passport office workers go on strike in Britain - in pictures

"At every stage of this dispute we have warned we will escalate action if our demands are not met," PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said.

He said the government had “insulted” civil servants last week by announcing they would receive a pay rise this year of between 4.5 per cent and 5 per cent.

“Our members are not prepared to be treated this way, which is why we are escalating our action," Mr Serwotka said.

“Ministers can stop these strikes and ease the passport backlog tomorrow by making a reasonable offer to our members.”

More than 130,000 PCS members will stage a nationwide strike on April 28.