UK Border Force officers to strike in school half term

British border staff will also strike at French ports of Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk

Lorries leave a passenger and cargo ship at the Port of Dover in England on January 30. Bloomberg

Border Force officers in major UK and French ports have announced strike dates during the school half-term break in the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

Strikes will take place from February 17 to 20 with about 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union in Dover, Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk set to walk out.

The announcement comes before a walkout on Wednesday by 100,000 civil servants in 123 government departments, in the biggest civil service industrial action in a decade.

Tomorrow’s strike about pay, pensions, redundancy and job security affects, among others, those working for the Border Force at airports and ports.

It will include those working as driving examiners and at National Highways, museums and art galleries, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions.

“Our members perform vital roles. We therefore expect our strikes tomorrow will have a massive impact on public services," PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said.

“And the strikes we have announced today in the Border Force will impact on people returning from their holidays during the half-term period.

Winter strikes in Britain - in pictures

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  Protesters march through Trafalgar Square, towards Downing Street, London, during a nurses' strike. PA

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  A rally in support of striking Amazon workers outside the retailer's warehouse in Coventry. Reuters

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  Members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy on the picket line outside London's St Thomas' Hospital as they strike for the first time. PA

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  Teachers gather at The Mound in central Edinburgh to highlight the need for a fair pay deal for Scotland's teachers as they continue to take strike action. PA

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  Paramedic Gabriel McComish, on the picket line outside the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, as thousands of health and social care workers in Northern Ireland take part in strike action. PA

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  Ambulance workers on the picket line outside London Ambulance Service NHS Trust control room in Waterloo, London. PA

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  Ambulance workers gather at a picket line in Waterloo, London. AFP

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  Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union join a rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. PA

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  Striking ambulance workers outside the NHS London Ambulance Service HQ in London. Reuters

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  Passengers at a busy King's Cross station in London after a strike by RMT union members. PA

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  Driving examiners on a PCS picket line outside Goodmayes Driving Test Centre in London. EPA

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  Nurses and supporters march towards Downing Street after a day of strike action in London. Getty Images

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  Travellers waiting for Euston station to open in London. Getty Images

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  A warning sign at Heathrow Airport in London. Bloomberg

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  A packed concourse at London Euston station on Christmas Eve. Getty Images

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  Striking Border Force workers picket at Gatwick Airport. EPA

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  Armed forces personnel drive an ambulance as paramedics, ambulance technicians and call handlers strike in England and Wales. PA

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  A notice about strike action outside Mount Pleasant Mail Centre in Farringdon, as Royal Mail workers stage strikes. PA

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  Ambulance workers and supporters gather outside Brent Ambulance Station in London. Getty Images

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  Members of the Fire and Rescue Service join demonstrators on a picket line at Manchester Ambulance Station. Getty Images

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  Ambulances outside the West Midlands Ambulance Service headquarters in Coventry during a strike. PA

“For while the government brought untrained military personnel in to replace our highly skilled and experienced officers in airports over Christmas, they won’t be able to do that in France.

“The blame for these strikes lies firmly at the feet of ministers who are refusing to put any money on the table.

“They say they will talk about money for next year but our members, who have been offered just a 2 per cent rise at a time when inflation is around 10 per cent, cannot afford to wait for next year.

UK nurses strike again as patients warned of 'inevitable' impact - in pictures

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  Members of the Royal College of Nursing on the picket line outside King's College Hospital, London, as nurses strike over pay. PA

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  Nurses working for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust outside the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough. Getty

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  This is the second two-day strike over pay by nurses. Getty

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  A strike outside King's College Hospital in London. Getty

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  A picket line in Middlesbrough. Getty

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  Nurses on the picket line outside the Norfolk And Norwich University Hospital. PA

“Many civil servants are already having to choose between heating and eating, having to claim the benefits they themselves have to administer, and they are having to go to food banks.

“Ministers should be ashamed at how they treat their own workforce.

"And until they come to the table with money for our members, we will continue to call strike action, with tomorrow’s strike being a key part of what will be a continuous, sustained, targeted campaign.”