Passport

The latest strike announcement adds to a wave of labor action in the country not seen since the Thatcher era.

This amounts to roughly 0.1% of the UK’s expected GDP over the same period, with the total value of the British economy estimated at about $2.7 trillion last year [23.1%:](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/trade-union-statistics) Union membership rate in the UK for 2021, the most recent year on record. That is the lowest figure since 1979, when half of all British citizens were in a union [12.8%:](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/trade-union-statistics) Private sector union membership in 2021, compared to 50.1% membership in the public sector [3%:](https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/2022-worst-year-real-wage-growth-nearly-half-century) The decline in wages in 2022, when inflation is factored in, according to the Trade Union Congress. British strikes, by the numbers [220,000:](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-14/uk-loses-another-220-000-days-to-worst-strikes-since-thatcher?leadSource=uverify%20wall) Number of working days lost to strikes in January, according to a report by the UK Office for National Statistics released this week. The country has lost 2.67 million days to labor disputes since June last year [133,000:](https://news.sky.com/story/strikes-set-for-february-heres-who-is-taking-action-when-and-why-12778841) The number of workers who went on strike this week to protest low wages for civil servants, according to the Public and Commercial Services Union [$2 billion:](https://cebr.com/reports/eight-months-of-strike-action-to-have-cost-the-uk-economy-at-least-1-7bn-adding-to-existing-recessionary-pressures/) The amount strikes cost the British GDP over eight months last year. The wide-ranging group of government employees is represented by the Public and Commercial Services union and has announced [new strikes in the coming weeks.](https://www.pcs.org.uk/campaigns/pcs-pay-pensions-jobs-campaign/pcs-national-industrial-action-ballot-results-2022/who) Strongest labor movement since Thatcher The union has agreed to suspend strikes for the next week while they hold [“intensive talks”](https://news.sky.com/story/bid-to-end-teacher-strikes-as-government-and-education-unions-agree-to-hold-intensive-talks-on-pay-and-workload-12835989) with the government. [said,](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64981979) confirming that a strike fund had been established to ensure staff would be paid in full during the extended walkout. Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) have staged numerous strikes over the last six months. Unions estimated that strikes caused one million working days to be lost in December of last year, the worst month for walkouts last year. For comparison, there were 11.7 million working days lost in September 1979, the worst month of strikes during Thatcher’s rule. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) announced that more than 1,000 Passport Office workers will strike for five weeks starting on April 3. The current waiting time for a new passport is 10 weeks, but this is expected to increase due to the strikes.

With the summer holidays only a few months away, Yahoo News UK explains why some Passport Office staff are striking and when people should renew their ...

Members of PCS union to take part in action from early April likely to have 'significant impact' on delivery times.

“I really now expect an invite from the government to talk about its own employees, and that better be as early as possible next week. “What I can’t say is that I’ve got an invite to talks and we have been complaining in public about the failure of the government to respond in this way for its own civil servants. There has to be a similar structure, and we will then talk about the amounts.

The Passport Office strike will delay the delivery of passports ahead of the summer holidays, so we've gathered everything you need to know about the five ...

The Passport Office strikes are the latest in a series of walkouts in several UK industries. The cost of passport renewals also rose by nine per cent on Thursday 2 February. It’s estimated that in excess of a million passport renewal applications could be received by the passport office during the strike period. But how can our members ignore the cost-of-living crisis when 40,000 civil servants are using food banks, and 45,000 of them are claiming the benefits they administer themselves? “Their approach is further evidence they’re treating their own workforce worse than anyone else. [England](https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/beautiful-places-england), [Wales](https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/prettiest-villages-in-wales) and [Scotland](https://www.cntraveller.com/article/best-places-scotland) – the specific offices involved are in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, [London](https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/things-to-do-in-london-this-weekend), Newport, Peterborough and Southport.

The five-week walkout will have a "significant impact" in the run-up to the summer travel season, unions say.

You can also get in touch in the following ways: Mark Smith, from Buckinghamshire, has terminal cancer and says his trip to Australia later this year is his last opportunity to visit his daughter and be there for the birth of his granddaughter. Guidance for each country can be found on the Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "All our members in the passport office will get financial support from the colleagues in the union and that means we can sustain not just this strike but many more like it for months to come", he said. If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the Most countries require the passport you are travelling with to be valid for the duration of your planned stay, but other countries - mainly ones where you need visas for entry - require a passport with a certain period of time left until the expiry date. The union warned of delays to applications and the delivery of passports in the run-up to summer. "If they're on strike for a month there's likely to be a massive backlog to get through," he said. But news of the strike has given rise to fears passports will not be processed in time for some people's holidays this summer. A spokesperson added: "We are working to manage the impact of strike action whilst ensuring we can continue to deliver vital services to the public, with comprehensive contingency plans in place." Members of the Public and Commercial Services union working across England, Scotland and Wales will take part in the action from 3 April to 5 May.

From South America to the Middle East, the top ten countries in passport strength growth.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Emirati citizens have gained visa-free access to 106 countries in the last ten years, and passport holders can now easily travel to 178 nations. Since the UAE's formation in 1971, growth in the region has exploded unprecedentedly. Vincent and the Grenadines offers a passport with 151 visa-free travel options, potentially vital to those who carry one. Moldova relies strongly on its agriculture industry, though it remains one of the poorest European nations. Developments, including an independent central bank, new trade relations with North America, the EU, and South Korea, and an overall modernizing economy, have helped the nation overcome many hurdles. [world's strongest passports](https://simpleflying.com/the-most-useful-passports-in-2022-a-brief-guide/): those that provide the most visa-free access. Though business and social opportunities are limited, the government has worked to bolster the strength of its passport, now offering visa-free entry to 145 countries, up from 88 in 2013. Another Caribbean island nation, prosperous in beauty but unfortunately suffering the same regional issues, is Dominica. Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airport is transforming, with a recently completed second runway, a new control tower, and a new terminal to open in 2025. One result of this success is a passport that facilitates visa-free entry to 115 countries, an impressive boost from 60 just ten years ago. Of the ten countries on this list, St. Located in the Southern Caribbean, St.

Even the announcement of a strike by members of the PCS union will precipitate a surge in applications.

During the problems a year ago, HM Passport Office operated a “hotline” and had a special desk for MPs’ passport requests of constituents with a pressing need to travel. But the concerns were not related to industrial action, and I do not expect a similar response this time. The PCS union said production of passports stopped at the Newport office, while interviews for urgent passports were cancelled at Glasgow and Durham. Staff at the Passport Office in Belfast may join the strike later. But demand is steadily rising as the Easter holidays approach, with summer set to be the busiest since 2019. On Thursday 16 March, there was industrial action at a number of HM Passport Offices, with walkouts hitting routine work and urgent appointments.

With the summer holidays only a few months away, Yahoo News UK explains why some Passport Office staff are striking and when people should renew their ...

Even the announcement of a strike by members of the PCS union will precipitate a surge in applications.

During the problems a year ago, HM Passport Office operated a “hotline” and had a special desk for MPs’ passport requests for constituents with a pressing need to travel. The date of issue is irrelevant in any context except for adult passports to the EU/Schengen Area – where the rule is that you cannot enter the European Union with a passport that was issued more than 10 years ago. But the concerns were not related to industrial action, and I do not expect a similar response this time. The PCS union said production of passports stopped at the Newport office, while interviews for urgent passports were cancelled at Glasgow and Durham. The unnecessary anxiety that has been created by sources that make nonsense claims about passport validity is alarming. Staff at the Passport Office in Belfast may join the strike later.