EU Nationals Travelling to UK on February 1 Warned of Prolonged Waiting Times Due to Strikes
The United Kingdom’s Home Office and Border Force have warned people travelling to the UK on February 1, to prepare for facing longer waiting times at border controls due to strikes that will take place at all UK air and maritime ports.
Travellers passing through border controls in Calais, Dunkirk and Coquelles in Northern France will also be affected by the strikes, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
100,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), across 123 employers, will stage a walkout on February 1, impacting government ministries, museums, ports, and airports.
The authorities will be sending military personnel, civil servants, and volunteers from across the government in order to support Border Force at all airports and ports affected by the strike, yet delays will be unavoidable.
“If you are travelling into the UK via any entry point, you should prepare for disruption and check before you travel,” the UK authorities have noted in a statement, adding that the strikes are expected to last until February 2, at 7 am.
Travellers are asked to be patient and respect the border staff, who are supporting them during the strike action, and to check with their travel agents, tour operators, and airlines in order to understand better at what scale their trip may be affected by the strike.
They are also encouraged to use eGates at the border where they are available.
“Please respect staff as we try and get you through the border as quickly and safely as possible. All forms of abuse and any inappropriate behaviour will be reported to the police,” the statement further warns.
The border authorities are still not sure how long the border waiting will take, as accurate data on queue time can take some time to collect and check, as aside from the strikes, other factors may affect flight delays and flight bunching, including here weather, increase in the number of passengers, as well as other ad hoc incidents.
Border officers will not be the only ones striking, as thousands of rail workers, schools, universities, and Whitehall will also be joining the walkout on February 1.
“We’re in no doubt that this strike action, some of which will fall on the same day or days, will cause significant disruption to the public,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman has said, commenting on the strikes.
Strikes at the UK borders had been organised in late December last year as well, from December 23 until December 31, for which travellers from EU countries to the UK had been warned.
