Greater than 1,000 Passport Workplace staff will go on strike for 5 weeks over a dispute about jobs, pay and circumstances, unions say.

Members of the Public and Industrial Companies union working throughout England, Scotland and Wales will participate within the motion from 3 April to five Could.

The union warned of delays to purposes and the supply of passports within the run-up to summer season.

These working in Belfast are being balloted and will be part of the strike.

BBC Information has contacted the Residence Workplace for a response.

Greater than 4,000 persons are employed by the Passport Workplace throughout the UK, which means that in keeping with the union figures round one in 4 staff might be strolling out.

The workplaces affected in England, Scotland and Wales will embody Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport.

At peak occasions – together with the month of April when the strike will happen – the Passport Workplace can obtain 250,000 purposes per week, in keeping with journey professional Simon Calder.

It implies that multiple million purposes could possibly be despatched through the strike interval, he stated.

The federal government says the strike doesn’t have an effect on their steering which continues to be to permit as much as ten weeks to get a passport.

A UK grownup passport is legitimate for 10 years, but when it is because of expire you might be refused entry into some nations.

Most nations require the passport you might be travelling with to be legitimate during your deliberate keep, however different nations – primarily ones the place you want visas for entry – require a passport with a sure time period left till the expiry date. Steering for every nation could be discovered on the federal government’s overseas journey recommendation web site.

PCS common secretary Mark Serwotka stated the dispute was over a proposed 2% pay rise which he stated was not being elevated any additional by the federal government.

He added the strike motion had come about as a result of “ministers have failed to carry any significant talks with us, regardless of two huge strikes and sustained, focused motion lasting six months”.

He stated: “Their strategy is additional proof they’re treating their very own workforce worse than anybody else.

“They’ve had six months to resolve this dispute however for six months have refused to enhance their 2% imposed pay rise, and failed to handle our members’ different problems with concern.”

He went on to say that the federal government was “ignoring our members” over their pay considerations however this is able to not make them “go away”.

Final 12 months, lots of of hundreds of individuals had been affected by passport processing delays as coronavirus journey restrictions had been lifted.

The newest motion from passport workplace staff comes after months of strikes over pay disputes in different sectors, corresponding to rail staff, London Underground drivers, academics, NHS workers, regional BBC journalists, college lecturers and civil servants.

On Thursday, unions representing healthcare staff in England agreed a closing pay supply with the federal government – which if accepted by members at a vote would deliver walkouts from nurses, ambulance crews, paramedics, hospital porters and different well being staff to an finish.