The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has confirmed a fresh 24-hour walk-out for Wednesday, 30 September, as part of its long-running dispute over pay and staffing across the civil service. The independent Strike Calendar site lists the action as affecting multiple government departments, with Border Force and HM Passport Office members eligible to participate. Although contingency teams of military personnel and civil servants have been trained since last year’s strikes, previous PCS stoppages caused queue times of up to two hours at Heathrow arrivals and delayed the printing of thousands of passports. Airports Council UK told carriers to prepare for “intermittent lane closures” at e-gate banks if deployment levels fall below minimum service thresholds. Visa and immigration processing is also at risk: UKVI’s Liverpool hub, which houses several premium-service teams, has PCS representation. Employers using the Priority or Super Priority visa channels should anticipate potential decision delays and build extra lead-time into start-date planning for overseas hires. PCS says the strike remains avoidable if ministers table an improved pay offer that matches inflation plus a commitment to fill 10,000 vacant civil-service posts. The Cabinet Office maintains that talks are ongoing but that “industrial action will not impact border security.” Business-travel groups are sceptical: the last coordinated strike in February saw several hundred passengers miss rail connections due to extended immigration checks. Travel and mobility managers should cascade contingency advice today, including encouraging eligible travellers to use e-gates where possible, booking earlier trains from Heathrow and Gatwick into the city, and flagging potential passport-collection delays to relocating employees awaiting docs for mortgage or rental agreements.
Source: Strike Calendar
