Staff at the Passport Office in Southport are among those workers starting five weeks of strike action.
Workers at the Smedley Hydro building on Trafalgar Road in Birkdale have joined over 1,000 colleagues in walking out across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In addition to Southport, other offices affected are Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Belfast.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union are striking until 5th May 2023 in a row over jobs, pay and conditions.
Workers have been outside the Smedley Hydro building in Birkdale waving banners to highlight the issues they face.
The PCS union has warned of delays to applications and the delivery of passports in the run-up to summer.
The Home Office confirmed a “temporary increase” in demand for new passports but said the amount was “close” to levels estimated.
It said there were currently no plans to change its 10-week guidance for passports to be processed and sent out.
The Home Office said: “There are currently no plans to change our guidance which states that it takes up to 10 weeks to get a passport.”
To mitigate the impact on services, the Home Office is deploying staff who have previously worked in Passport Offices during busy times of year.
It is understood people who require a passport on compassionate grounds for urgent travel will still be able to get one. However, there will be a reduction in the amount of appointments available for other urgent services.
More than 4,000 people are employed by the Passport Office across the UK, which means that according to union figures around one in four workers will take action.
The union has said the walkouts are being targeted to cause mass disruption and involve members working in departments which examine passports – more than 1,300 people.
How do I renew my passport?
- You can renew your passport online, at a cost of £82.50 (payable by debit or credit card) or by post, at a cost of £93
- To apply online, you will need your existing passport and a digital photograph
- To apply by post, you will need to fill out a form, which you can get from any post office, which has a check and send service, or by calling the Passport Adviceline
- The Passport Office says you should apply for a new passport 10 weeks before you are due to travel
- If you can’t wait that long, you can pay extra to get it sooner
Read more here.
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