Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport are set to strike from August 31 to September 3, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has said.
The union’s 650 members will then refuse to work overtime until September 22 in a long-running dispute about enforced changes to terms and conditions.
This includes the introduction of inflexible rotas, which began in April, the union said on Friday.
Heathrow Airport in west London is among the world’s busiest airports.
PCS said around 160 staff have left the Border Force due to the changes, while 82 per cent have been told they cannot be accommodated in their current roles, with part-timers and partially retired staff being forced to change their working hours and practices.
New staff are having new flexible working applications refused, the union claimed.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our hard-working members at Heathrow take great pride in keeping our country’s border safe, but many are being forced out of the job they love.
“They’re being told by managers to choose between caring responsibilities and their job, which is no choice at all. The only reason they’re being forced to choose is because their managers are forcing them.
“We know our strike action is likely to cause serious disruption to travellers using Heathrow at the end of the summer, but the strike can be avoided if the employer listens to the concerns of our members.”
Heathrow Airport said it has previously worked closely with Border Force to “support their contingencies during strike periods, which have seen passengers continue to travel smoothly”.
Border Force has been approached for comment.
