More than 1,000 Passport Office workers across Britain will strike for five weeks

Panicked Brits are scrambling to get their passports sorted amid fears looming strike action by workers at the Passport Office could fuel serious delays. 

Staff are to strike for five weeks in a major blow for holidaymakers in need of new travel documents ahead of the summer getaway. 

More than 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union will take part in the walk-out from April 3 to May 5 in a massive escalation of a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.  

It is feared the industrial action will have a ‘significant impact’ on the delivery of passports, further straining a system already struggling with a Covid backlog. 

Now worried Britons have taken to social media to express their concern, with one user saying: ‘Just seen passport workers are going on strike… eek… I need mine renewed before (the) end of September.’

More than 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union will take part in the walk-out from April 3 to May 5. Worried Britons have been sharing their reactions online

It usually takes about 10 weeks to renew a passport, but last year tens of thousands of people had to wait even longer due to the volume of applications after Covid travel restrictions were lifted. Fast-track services are available but they are much more expensive.  

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘This escalation of our action has come about because, in sharp contrast with other parts of the public sector, ministers have failed to hold any meaningful talks with us, despite two massive strikes and sustained, targeted action lasting six months.

‘Their approach is further evidence they’re treating their own workforce worse than anyone else. 

‘They’ve had six months to resolve this dispute but for six months have refused to improve their 2 per cent imposed pay rise, and failed to address our members’ other issues of concern.

‘They seem to think if they ignore our members, they’ll go away. 

‘But how can our members ignore the cost-of-living crisis when 40,000 civil servants are using foodbanks and 45,000 of them are claiming the benefits they administer themselves?

‘It’s a national scandal and a stain on this Government’s reputation that so many of its own workforce are living in poverty.’

Worried Britons are now scrambling to get their passports sorted before the five-week strike action begins 

Passport Office workers are to strike for five weeks in an escalation of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions (File image)

More than 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working in Passport Offices in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will take part in the action from April 3 to May 5 (File image)

Those working in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will walk out from April 3 to May 5 while those in Belfast will strike from April 7 to May 5.

Travel expert Simon Calder said strikes would cause ‘significant disruption’ – but urged Briton’s not to panic amid fears it could create a ‘real bottleneck’ in passport applications. 

‘This is aimed at making the issuing and renewing of passports much more difficult,’ he told Good Morning Britain. 

‘At the moment the Home Office says you’ve got to allow 10 weeks – in fact most passports are being done in a couple of weeks but the guidance will remain at that.

‘But can I tell you what the worst possibility will be? That is if people hear this news and panic and think “right, I’m going to start renewing my passport now” and so you get a surge in applications and a real bottleneck forms even before they have gone on strike.’