Passport Office staff will stage a five week walk out from the beginning of April, which is set to have a major impact on Brits applying for new passports. The decision, which is said by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union to be a "significant escalation" of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, will affect more than 1,000 members of staff in seven offices.
The Chronicle Live reports that the impact on the delivery of passports will also be "significant" and, with the Easter holidays fast approaching - and summer holidays only a matter of months away - it will mean more than a million applications could be stuck in the system. But just how might your holiday plans be affected?
The Passport Office has been urging holidaygoers to ensure they have allowed 10 weeks for passport applications to completed and new passports to be sent out. In usual circumstances, if you were to apply for a passport today, it would be expected to arrive at the end of May/beginning of June at the latest.
