Hundreds of border force staff at Britain's biggest airport, Heathrow, will strike at the end of this month dealing a blow to the plans of hundreds of thousands holidaymakers.
The four-day strike by 650 members of the PCS union is due to take place between August 31 and September 3.
The initial strike dates will be followed by more than two weeks of industrial action, border force staff union PCS said in a statement on Friday.
The industrial action will coincide with the end of the Britain's school summer holidays when the airport to the west of London usually has one of its busiest periods.
PCS said staff would work to rule and refuse to work overtime until September 22.
They blamed the industrial action on a long-running dispute over changes to terms and conditions including new inflexible rosters.
Britain's Home Office which is responsible for border force officers had no immediate comment, while Heathrow, which at peak holiday times is used by about 250,000 passengers a day, said disruption had been avoided during past strikes.
“We have previously worked closely with border force to support their contingencies during strike periods, which have seen passengers continue to travel smoothly,” Heathrow said in a statement.
The union said around 160 staff have left the Border Force because of the lack of flexibility, while others have been forced to change their working hours and practices.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote admitted that the move would cause serious disruption to Heathrow travellers, but said the strike can be avoided if the employer listens to the concerns of our members.
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