UNITED KINGDOM
Border Force staff have expressed concern that a UK Home Office plan to draft in outside workers to help it cope with a potential no-deal exit from the European Union (Brexit) will compromise security.
The Department is recruiting 1,000 extra Border Force officers to ensure the Agency is ready to inspect goods and immigration documents at ports and minimise disruption as goods are transported into the country.
Staff have been told the extra workers will help with the “facilitation of the movement of goods” away from port terminals.
PS staff say handing some of the Border Force’s responsibilities to temporary workers poses a security threat.
“We are expected to keep an eye on vehicles in transit in case they are transporting illicit goods and illegal immigrants,” one senior official said.
“Placing people with little loyalty to the job leaves obvious possibilities for exploitation.”
The Border Force is currently advertising to fill 242 officer vacancies on the Civil Service Jobs Board, plus a further 88 apprentices.
One of the job advert tells applicants — who will earn between £23,447 (A$42,620) and £31,051 (A$56,450) — they do not need experience in security, but must be able to “work flexibly within a team environment, as priorities can change rapidly”.
The advertisement also warned that staff must be prepared to work “in sometimes difficult and pressurised environments”.
Apprentices will be paid between £15,123 (A$27,460) and £18,148 (A$32,990), with one job advertisement describing the position as a “24 hours a day, 365 days a year job … this is some of the most important and challenging work in Government as it both protects and enhances the UK economy”.
The report comes after it was revealed that Departments spent £1.1 billion (A$2 billion) on temporary staff last year — 18.3 per cent more than the year before — fuelled largely by Brexit preparations.
London, 24 August 2019
