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Passengers say airports ‘were better than ever’ with Army taking charge from striking Border Force staff
AIRPORT passengers heading on Christmas getaways yesterday said the service was “better than ever” — with the Army covering for striking Border Force staff.
Around 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union downed tools yesterday at Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester airports in a row over pay and pensions.
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Union bosses warned the strikes could go on for six months if their demands are not met.
Staff were also striking at the port of Newhaven in East Sussex.
Airport passengers had been warned to expect huge delays and chaos at the gates, but they overwhelmingly praised the members of the Armed Forces brought in to help.
They happily got on with the job — despite earning thousands a year less a year than the staff on strike.
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They checked passports as 250,000 passengers on 1,290 flights arrived and ensured all ran smoothly.
Queues for departures from Heathrow yesterday morning were around 30 minutes at some gates, but many others appeared almost empty.
Catering manager Simon Charlton, 44, was landing back from Canada after a winter break and said it had been a “breeze” getting through.
Simon, of Brighton, told The Sun: “I was expecting total chaos at Heathrow. I was awake at the thought of how bad the queues and the delays would be but it has been really smooth.
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“It’s been quicker than usual but still with thorough checks. It’s better than ever. Maybe this is the future.”
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Property manager Patrick McIntosh, 40, flew into Heathrow from New York to spend time with relatives in Broadstairs, Kent.
He said: “The Army have been brilliant.
“The union looks very silly now because it has been managed far better than I have ever seen it before.”
One passenger flying into Manchester experienced no delay and claimed their easyJet pilot told them: “It’s quicker than normal.”
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “I am incredibly grateful for the sacrifices made this winter by members of our Armed Forces, who are giving up their time to keep our essential services running and to bolster UK resilience.
“While the unions continue to hold our public services to ransom, it is only appropriate our people are compensated for having to go above and beyond their usual tasks at short notice.”
Strikes are scheduled to take place every day for the rest of the year, except on December 27.
And gloom-monger PCS chief Mark Serwotka warned the industrial action could last until May.
The dispute began after 100,000 PCS members in 214 government departments and other public bodies voted to take action in support of a ten per cent pay rise.
They also want better job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.
But ministers have been refusing to better a two per cent pay offer.
The average starting salary for a soldier in the Army is £15,985, while a Royal Navy rating can earn as little as £14,700 to begin with.
In the RAF, a new starter earns £16,235.
However, recruits at Border Force are paid an average of £21,431.
The Home Office called in 625 members of the Armed Forces and civil servants to help as part of its contingency plans.
They will be paid a £20 bonus for every day they work during the festive period.
Former Tory minister Brendan Clarke-Smith praised their efforts, saying: “All that some strikers are demonstrating is that we can manage perfectly well without them.”
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Border Force boss Steve Dann had warned the military and civil service stand-ins would “not be able to operate with the same efficiency” as his usual workers.
But even striking staff at Heathrow — where Labour MP and ex-Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell joined the picket line — are said to have told passengers worried about getting back to family for Christmas that it had been more efficient than usual.
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