Members of the PCS Union working in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will strike from 3 April to 5 May.

Staff in the Passport Office in Northern Ireland are currently being balloted and may join the action subject to the ballot result.

The action is an escalation of the union’s long-running dispute with the government over working conditions and is likely to have a significant impact on the delivery of passports ahead of the summer season. 

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said the action has come about because, in contrast with other parts of the public sector, ministers have "failed to hold any meaningful" talks with the union.

"They’ve had six months to resolve this dispute but for six months have refused to improve their 2% imposed pay rise, and failed to address our members’ other issues of concern," he added.

"They seem to think if they ignore our members, they’ll go away. But how can our members ignore the cost of living crisis when 40,000 civil servants are using foodbanks and 45,000 of them are claiming the benefits they administer themselves?"