UK Airports to face another six months of strikes – here’s why

The Public and Commercial Services Union said on Wednesday that 88% of votes cast in ballots across government departments were in support of further walkouts, according to a report published by Bloomberg News. 

It added that it gives the union a fresh mandate to hold strikes involving thousands of civil servants if a resolution isn’t reached in a long-running dispute over pay, pensions, and job security. 

PCS members at the Home Office, which employs passport control officials, voted nearly 91% in favor of strikes, on a turnout of nearly 55%.

The vote also raises the prospect of further delays at the port of Dover, which has suffered long traffic jams during peak holiday periods, Bloomberg reported. 

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS said that they will see more high-profile disruptive action over the summer unless ministers put more money on the table. 

However, the union failed to secure the necessary support in many of the government departments in which it has members. A turnout of more than 50% is required in the UK for labor groups to gain a mandate to strike.

Britain has been hit by months of widespread strikes as stubborn inflation resulted in workers protesting against real-term pay cuts. 

Industrial action has spanned a range of sectors including the civil service, transport, Royal Mail, schools and universities, as well as the National Health Service.

(With Bloomberg inputs)