Warning for anyone who needs to renew their passports this year
BRITS needing to renew their passports this year have been warned of processing delays, if further strikes go ahead.
Passport office workers have already staged workouts this year, but more could follow.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) - the biggest civil service union in the UK - has voted in favour of further strikes this year.
While no dates have been planned for future walkouts yet, the result of the vote increases the chance of further disruption to passport renewals.
Passport office workers are included in PCS members who have voted in favour of further industrial action, as well as the Home Office and DVLA.
Nearly 1,800 staff members at the office staged the walkouts that started last month.
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The union claimed that their strikes caused disruption to passport offices, and said the number of appointments for renewals had been "slashed" because of their action.
According to the website PassportWaitingTime.co.uk, which tracks the average wait in the UK for passports, an adult can expect to wait around 25 days for a renewal.
But Brits needing a new passport have been advised to give themselves 10 weeks to get it sorted, and some applicants have said it has taken even longer than that.
One mum said she had waited more than 12 weeks for two passports for her kids, and faced having to cancel her £2,400 holiday this month.
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Another woman complained on Twitter: "I have allowed 10 weeks and my daughter's passport still has not come back! We fly in a week."
A Home Office spokesperson told Sun Online Travel: “HM Passport Office remains well-positioned to deal with this industrial action, and there is no change our guidance which states that customers should allow up to ten weeks to get a passport.
“For those using the standard service, people are receiving their passports in good time, with 99.7% of applications processed within the published ten week timeframe.”
Passport renewals aren't the only things that could affect holidays this year, with more strikes set to go ahead at Heathrow.
Around 1,400 airport security staff staged eight days of industrial action earlier this month and have plans for more over a pay dispute.
Signs were put up in the airport terminals, warning: “There may be some security delays due to industrial action.”
The security staff will stage further walkouts on 25–27 May.
The union has warned that the strikes will cause "inevitable delays" although the airport has said that it is putting plans in place to avoid disruption as much as possible.
However, the airport has said that all passengers should expect to travel as normal.
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Meanwhile, here’s how much you’re owed for cancelled or delayed flights - and what to do if airlines won’t pay up.
And these are the two flights you should book to avoid airport delays.
