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Border Force strike

Talk Wrench

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I flew home into Manchester yesterday expecting chaos after the Border Force began their strike. I thought there'd be queues, frustration and angry people all corralled into arrivals together but how wrong was I.

From entering the passport control area, it took less than two minutes to get through to the other side.

Well done to the Navy lads there who did a sterling job and if I dare say, outshone the usual incumbents of the job with their efficiency.

These problem free scenes have apparently been repeated at other affected airports. The Border Force have embarrassed themselves in my humble opinion.
 

fourteen2two

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The strikers may have shot themselves in the foot ! Oh dear how sad. Last year we came back from Spain to East Midlands , all the border control was e gates pretty quick. ( apart from the muppets who can't follow instructions!)
There were few border force there mainly helping if the machines didn't like you!
 

muttywhitedog

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Its the starting salvo, and yes passport control is very easy for UK nationals using the e gates.

I'd suggest if you need a passport by this summer you do it now, as the Govt wont be able to call in squaddies at short notice to determine british nationality when PCS up the ante and start calling on single site functions to walk out.
 

Talk Wrench

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Its the starting salvo, and yes passport control is very easy for UK nationals using the e gates.

I'd suggest if you need a passport by this summer you do it now, as the Govt wont be able to call in squaddies at short notice to determine british nationality when PCS up the ante and start calling on single site functions to walk out.

It was also easier for non UK passport holders as well. Many people were commenting on how surprised they were by the efficiency of passport control with the striking workers out of the way.

The Border Force doesn't have a lot of public support for their strike in the first place so any further "industrial" action will turn more of the public against them, negating anything their union is trying to achieve.
 

muttywhitedog

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It was also easier for non UK passport holders as well. Many people were commenting on how surprised they were by the efficiency of passport control with the striking workers out of the way.
Of course it will be if the person "checking" has no authority to detain.

 

Downsizer

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Further alternative viewpoint - HM Forces pers don't really know what they are checking and just let people in without properly checking for an easy life...?
 

muttywhitedog

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Further alternative viewpoint - HM Forces pers don't really know what they are checking and just let people in without properly checking for an easy life...?
Absolutely. And Border Force staff who are union members wont be assisting in the training, so you are left with a handful of non-union members who are trying to deliver training whilst also covering the gates.

Interesting that HMG have managed to magic up £20 a day for the military, on top of whatever subsistence allowance is being dished out, but cant find a tenner a day to pay the staff a bit more.
 

Tin basher

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Interesting that HMG have managed to magic up £20 a day for the military, on top of whatever subsistence allowance is being dished out, but cant find a tenner a day to pay the staff a bit more.
Probably because its a temporary £20 a day to HMF until the strikes stop and not a permanent £10 per day to the border force folk.
 

mild mannered janitor

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Absolutely. And Border Force staff who are union members wont be assisting in the training, so you are left with a handful of non-union members who are trying to deliver training whilst also covering the gates.

Interesting that HMG have managed to magic up £20 a day for the military, on top of whatever subsistence allowance is being dished out, but cant find a tenner a day to pay the staff a bit more.

Just for arguments sake lets call it 1000 people for the 8 days of strike's

1000 people at and extra twenty quid for eight days = £160,000

1000 people at an extra tenener a day for 260 days assuming a five day week = £2,600,000

that's maths most ten year olds can figure out.
 

Talk Wrench

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Absolutely. And Border Force staff who are union members wont be assisting in the training, so you are left with a handful of non-union members who are trying to deliver training whilst also covering the gates.

Interesting that HMG have managed to magic up £20 a day for the military, on top of whatever subsistence allowance is being dished out, but cant find a tenner a day to pay the staff a bit more.

The fact being of course, that military personnel shouldn't even be there in the first place. Perhaps those whom derelict their duty shouldn't be complaining when the military are tasked with stepping in.
 

Deltaitem

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Who's being derelict in their duty? If you think it's those on strike, withdrawing your labour is actually a legal right, subject of course to whatever hoops each nation's laws dictate you have to jump through first. As for the military not supposed to be there, it's the government that chose to send them there.
 
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busby1971

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That £20 a day is a lot less than the salary saved of a regular doing the work, with on costs probably not far from about £150 per shift.
 
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