Heathrow passport control strike suspended as workers enter talks

Passport control workers at London’s Heathrow Airport have suspended a planned strike action over Easter.

Around 450 workers, who are members of the Public and Commercial Services union, were due to strike from  April 1, to April 7, due to disagreements over a new work roster.

The union said the changes to the employees’ work patterns, which were imposed by Britain’s Home Office in response to coronavirus safety measures, were implemented without consulting the union.

But it confirmed on Thursday that the strike had been suspended following “recent positive talks with the employer and a number of concessions made formally to PCS.”

“Earlier on March 26, we received a letter from the Border Force chief operating officer suggesting that Border Force and the trade unions work together to develop options for a new roster which will then be put to members.

“Two well-attended members’ meetings voted to suspend the strike action to allow negotiations to take place around developing a new roster that will include flexibilities, specifically unlimited head-to-head swaps, the facility for staff to request shifts and the removal of the current 0000hrs shift start,” a statement from the union said.

Since March 24, workers have been undertaking industrial action in response to the new rosters.

Passport control workers have been ‘working to rule,’ which means they have not been undertaking any over time for the past few weeks.

Travelers could still land at the airport, one of the busiest in the world, but immigration controls were taking significantly longer.