Border Force staff begin the second in a series of strikes at UK airports until New Year’s Eve.
About 1,000 members of the PCS union, many of whom work in passport control, will move out from December 28-31.
The union has warned that unless the government starts talks about pay, the strikes could last for months.
The disruption to rail services also continues on Wednesday and Thursday as TSSA members at Great Western Railway and West Midlands Trains go on strike.
The Border Force strikes go beyond wages, jobs and working conditions as the cost of living rises at record highs.
- Border Force strikes could go on for months
- The strikes take place in December and January
Officials will join the military to cover for strikers at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports and the Port of Newhaven.
Previous strikes from December 23-26 caused minimal disruption. A Heathrow spokesman said the immigration halls for travelers were “free flowing” and the airport had “no problems” as a result of the first series of strikes.
Meanwhile, driving examiners and rural payment officers at more than 250 locations across the UK are holding ongoing strikes from December 13 to January 16. PCS union members in 71 driving test centers in East England and the Midlands will strike for five days from Wednesday.
The PCS is demanding a 10% pay rise, better pensions, job security and no cuts in notice periods for all of its members, but the government has said the pay rises it is asking for are “unaffordable”.
Ahead of the first wave of strikes by airport staff, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his priorities were reducing inflation.
“Part of that is responsible public sector salary setting. In the long run, beating inflation is the right thing for the whole country,” Mr Sunak said.
Travel disruptions are also expected during the upcoming rail strikes in January. Recent strikes by rail workers have brought many parts of the country to a standstill.
The latest wave of strikes by railway workers is expected to disrupt journeys for those returning to work after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Network Rail RMT union members will continue their strike action over pay and conditions on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th January.
They will drop out again on January 6th and 7th, and there will be a ban on overtime for RMT members from December 18th to January 2nd.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said the striking RMT rail staff would mean only about 20% of services will be operational and “half the network will be closed”.
“There are likely to be even fewer services on January 5 due to a strike by drivers belonging to it [the union] Aslef,” warned the RDG.
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