GENERAL STRIKE AGAINST PUSHBACKS
UKBorders staff threaten strike over Channel ‘pushbacks’
By Benjamin Fox | EURACTIV.com
Jan 5, 2022
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), whose members include around 80% of the Border Force officials who would be tasked with implementing the ‘pushbacks’ demanded by ministers, have applied for a judicial review against the plans by Home Secretary Priti Patel.
By Benjamin Fox | EURACTIV.com
Jan 5, 2022
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), whose members include around 80% of the Border Force officials who would be tasked with implementing the ‘pushbacks’ demanded by ministers, have applied for a judicial review against the plans by Home Secretary Priti Patel.
[Shutterstock/Christine Bird]
UK Border Force staff could go on strike over the government’s “morally reprehensible” plans to turn back dinghies carrying migrants crossing the Channel, a leading trade union warned on Wednesday.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), whose members include around 80% of the Border Force officials who would be tasked with implementing the ‘pushbacks’ demanded by ministers, have applied for a judicial review against the plans by Home Secretary Priti Patel.
The government plans to introduce tough new measures to restrict arrivals after a sharp rise in the number of people arriving via the Channel crossing in the UK. According to figures compiled by the PA Media news agency, some 28,300 people crossed the Dover Strait onboard small boats in 2021, triple the number for 2020.
The PCS argues that the ‘pushbacks’ policy breaks international law.
UK Border Force staff could go on strike over the government’s “morally reprehensible” plans to turn back dinghies carrying migrants crossing the Channel, a leading trade union warned on Wednesday.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), whose members include around 80% of the Border Force officials who would be tasked with implementing the ‘pushbacks’ demanded by ministers, have applied for a judicial review against the plans by Home Secretary Priti Patel.
The government plans to introduce tough new measures to restrict arrivals after a sharp rise in the number of people arriving via the Channel crossing in the UK. According to figures compiled by the PA Media news agency, some 28,300 people crossed the Dover Strait onboard small boats in 2021, triple the number for 2020.
The PCS argues that the ‘pushbacks’ policy breaks international law.
“The legality of the pushbacks policy is in serious question, and it is right that the court decides whether it is unlawful to turn back Channel boats,” said PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka.
“We cannot have a situation where our members could be open to potential civil and criminal action for implementing a policy that they do not agree with and know is not safe,” he added.
Even if UK courts deem the policy legal, the PCS has not ruled out the possibility of strike action.
(Benjamin Fox | EURACTIV.com)
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