Workers at Glasgow passport office have walked out today in a bitter dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
They are among more than 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) at eight sites across the UK taking part in five weeks of action in an escalation of the long-running row.
Picket lines will be mounted on Monday outside the offices in Glasgow, Durham, Liverpool, Southport, Peterborough, London, Belfast and Newport in Wales.
READ MORE: Girlfriend's heartbreaking message to 'love of her life' week after he vanished
The union said those taking action will be supported by a strike fund.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka has written to the Government calling for urgent talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.
He has accused ministers of treating its own employees differently to others in the public sector after negotiations were held with unions representing health workers and teachers.
The union is stepping up strikes, with a nationwide walkout of more than 130,000 civil servants planned for April 28.
The Home Office said the Passport Office has already processed more than 2.7 million applications this year, adding over 99.7 per cent of standard applications are being processed within 10 weeks, with the majority of those delivered to customers well under this timescale.
There are currently no plans to change official guidance which states that it takes up to 10 weeks to get a passport.
READ NEXT:
Young Rangers star in heartbreaking tribute to mum after tragic death
Celtic fan in Hoops jersey working as street food vendor 5,800 miles from Parkhead
Man dead and two women rushed to hospital as van hits pedestrians in Lanarkshire
Clydebank gangster in 31kg cocaine trafficking plot paid £5,630 in 'wages'
Samuel L Jackson in Bongos Bingo night out at Glasgow's SWG3
