Customs workers have voted to strike at major airports over Christmas, threatening further travel chaos during the busy holiday period.
The PCS union said around 1,000 border force officials at passport control would walk over a pay and jobs dispute from 23 to 26 December and again between 28 and 31 December at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff.
Union boss Mark Serwokta admitted the airport strikes would have a “significant impact” on Britons’ travel plans.
Meanwhile, emergency workers could face additional restrictions on their right to strike, after Rishi Sunak declared his intention to impose “tough new laws” to tackle industrial action.
Aides did not rule out the possibility that this could include a ban on walkouts by ambulance staff and other emergency workers, or the extension of proposed minimum service level legislation to cover the whole public sector.
Mr Sunak’s comment came a day after the GMB, Unison and Unite unions announced co-ordinated strikes by NHS staff including ambulance workers on 21 and 28 December.
