LONDON (Reuters) -A union representing British Border Force workers said on Friday that more than 120 staff who patrol Britain’s waters, in “sometimes harrowing roles”, plan to strike on November 14 to protest over pay and working conditions.
The majority of the UK’s around 10,000 Border Force staff work in airports and ports across the country and overseas. The agency’s website does not give a breakdown detailing how many are employed patrolling the country’s waters.
Britain’s Public and Commercial Services union said in a statement that the government began a review six years ago to address the need for standardisation of pay and roles, but despite lengthy talks the concerns of its members concerns have yet to be addressed.
A spokesperson for the UK’s interior ministry said the government would continue talks with the union to resolve the dispute.
“We always have robust plans in place to minimise disruption and uphold UK border security, and that remains unchanged,” the spokesperson said via email.
Workers carry out dangerous roles patrolling for smuggling or unauthorised entry into the UK, boarding vessels for inspection and responding to incidents, including small boats carrying asylum seekers, the PCS union said in its statement.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government – trailing in opinion polls – has pledged to smash the gangs trafficking migrants into Britain on small boats, as Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party has made tackling illegal migration a major political battleground.
“This strike sends a clear message to the Home Office: we will not accept continued delays and inadequate proposals,” PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said in the statement.
“We stand ready to escalate if necessary,” Heathcote added.
(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Alexander Smith)
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