Border guards today called off a strike that threatened to disrupt Heathrow on the eve of the Olympics amid claims of a humiliating climbdown by union leaders.
The Public and Commercial Services union, which had ordered 5,500 immigration officers to walk out tomorrow, said it was abandoning the action because the Home Office was creating new jobs for its members.
However, immigration minister Damian Green said that the claim of extra jobs was “straightforwardly wrong” and accused the union of trying to find a “figleaf to hide behind” to cover up its retreat in the face of public hostility to the strike.
Today’s decision also led to renewed calls for the RMT union, which is planning a work-to-rule by up to 10,000 Tube workers on Friday, to abandon its action as a backlash against threats to the Olympics gathered pace.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union, which represents thousands of Tube staff and is led by Bob Crow, said it was in dispute over implementing an Olympics pay deal, as well as the use of casual workers. The union also announced a strike by cleaners on the Tube and DLR from Friday morning until Sunday.
Announcing the end of its strike threat today, the PCS claimed that 800 new jobs were being created in the UK Border Agency and that 300 passport staff were being recruited. It said this represented “major progress” in its battle to halt job cuts.
Mr Green dismissed the union’s claims, saying that the supposed new jobs were merely part of routine recruitment to fill vacancies.
“No concessions have been made. What the union is doing is looking for a figleaf so they could call off a strike that they knew they had to call off,” he said. The union’s decision came shortly before the Home Office was due to launch a court bid to halt the strike over “procedural errors” in the ballot.
The union was also facing criticism over its apparent decision to target the Olympics after the ballot in which only 11 per cent of its members voted for action.
