Border Force staff at London Heathrow airport are planning a four-day strike from Aug 31 to Sept. 3. The strike will be the latest in a series of rotating job actions that have disrupted the facility over the summer. The 650 Public and Commercial Services (PSC) members who work in passport control at terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 at LHR have been in dispute with their employer after a new roster was imposed in April.

Since then, around 160 staff have left because of the lack of flexibility and changes to the shifts, which have particularly affected women with caring responsibilities, says the PCS union in a statement on its website.

The members have already taken seven days of strike action in April, May and June, and action short of a strike that included a work to rule and overtime ban.

After the forthcoming four-day strike, union members will engage in a work-to-rule and overtime ban until Sept. 22.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote says: “Our hard-working members at Heathrow take great pride in keeping our country’s border safe, but many are being forced out of the job they love… We know our strike action is likely to cause serious disruption to travellers using Heathrow at the end of the summer, but the strike can be avoided if the employer listens to the concerns of our members.”

The UK Home Office says it has plans in place to minimize disruption to passengers – last December, military personnel were drafted in to check passports at UK airports including Heathrow during strikes by Border Force staff – but advises travellers to still check ahead with their airlines.

Air Canada uses Terminal 2 while WestJet flies to Terminal 4.