Airport border staff in the UK are set to strike again after their much-publicized walkout over the Christmas holidays. UK Border Force officials will walk out on March 15th as part of wider industrial action called for by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

UK border staff to strike again next month

Trade union PCS has called the strike for March 15th to coincide with the UK Treasury's Spring Budget as it continues to pursue more favorable pay, pension and job security conditions for its members. In fact, the PCS strike is set to involve around 100,000 members in the civil service and public sector and include other departments, such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Rural Payments Agency.

PCS said,

"Our strategy calls sustained action in targeted areas where we can exert significant pressure on the employer, supplemented by all-member action called when its effect can be maximized."

The head of the PCS had previously warned that passengers should get used to UK border strikes as the UK government continues to reject the union's demands. Simple Flying readers will recall the series of strikes at UK airports this December, with soldiers from the UK military forced to step in and occupy immigration booths across affected airports. While many travelers in fact reported a quicker immigration experience during this period, a sharp drop in detentions led to suggestions that soldiers weren't performing rigorous enough checks on inbound passengers.

Over 2,000 flights to be affected

The one-day strike next month is set to affect thousands of inbound UK flights - according to aviation data analysts at Cirium, there are currently 2,125 flights scheduled to arrive at UK airports on March 15th, with London Heathrow Airport (LHR) leading the way, with over 600 flights to arrive that day.

Inbound international flights on March 15th by airport include:

• London Heathrow - 610
• London Gatwick - 267
• Manchester Airport - 173
• London Stansted - 168
• Edinburgh - 116

British Airways will be the most affected carrier, with 479 flights scheduled to arrive in the UK that day, followed by easyJet (408) and Ryanair (265).

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Port strikes are coming next week

The PCS has also called for a series of strikes at four UK ports in the next week - around 1,000 members of UK Border Force at the ports of Dover, Calais, Coquelles, and Dunkirk will conduct a four-day walkout on February 17, 18, 19 and 20 to protest pay and employment conditions.

The PCS has said the walkout is "in response to the lack of movement from the government on our demands on pay, pensions and job security" - the union is demanding a 10% pay rise along with improved pension, job security, and no cuts to redundancy terms.

Do you support the UK Border Force strikes? Do you see the government budging on pay and job conditions? Let us know in the comments.