Heathrow strike chaos: Border Force officers walk out over work conditions

Passengers planning to travel to Great Britain in the coming days should avoid Heathrow Airport. Border Force officers have commenced a four-day strike at the busiest airport on the Isles to protest changes to their working conditions.

The PCS trade union, representing public sector workers, has declared that 300 Border Force officers stationed at Heathrow across terminals 2, 3, 4, and 5 will strike from 5:00 AM on Monday, April 29, to 7:00 AM on Friday, May 3.

PCS has clarified that the protest revolves around introducing new rosters, which, according to the officers, would force approximately 250 of them to quit their jobs at passport control.

"It's disappointing that, despite talks last week, the Home Office is not prepared to grant any flexibility to their new roster. None of our dedicated and highly experienced members in the Border Force want to take strike action but the way they've been treated by their employer leaves them with no option," expressed PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote.

Although Heathrow authorities have assured that they have contingency plans for strike actions to minimise the impact on passengers, past strikes by Border Force officers at Heathrow have led to significant disruptions.