LONDON — Staff who protect the U.K.’s Houses of Parliament are locked in a dispute with their bosses about how they’re treated — and are considering downing tools in a fresh strike on New Year’s Eve.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) in the Parliamentary Security Department are considering the last day of the year as a strike day, two people involved in the dispute told POLITICO.

That would present an awkward moment for many working in the Palace of Westminster. Passholders — who include members of the House of Commons and House of Lords as well as their staff — often bring guests in to watch the capital’s show-stopping New Year’s fireworks from the parliament’s riverside terrace.

Since September, the union has carried out regular strikes after changes to staff work patterns. They have frequently targeted Wednesdays for industrial action, when Westminster has a high media presence thanks to Prime Minister’s Questions, in a bid to generate attention. More than 300 employees walked off the job during Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget this week.

From Nov. 24 until the end of 2025, security staff are engaged in action short of a strike, in which they follow strictly contracted hours.

As one of the world’s most high-profile landmarks, the U.K. parliament requires 24/7 surveillance. Hundreds of security officers leaving their checkpoints invariably makes that trickier and requires contingency planning with London’s Metropolitan Police. 

The long-running saga between the PCS and house authorities shows no sign of a resolution, meaning further strikes are likely — and that it could become harder for the public to fully access the estate.

‘Lives on the line’ 

Around 400 officers currently work in the Parliamentary Security Department, most of whom are employed by the Palace of Westminster.

Those who guard the location where Britain’s laws are made say their job had become harder even before the latest dispute.

“It’s gone downhill,” said security officer Gary Harvey, who was striking outside the parliament on budget day. Harvey has worked in Westminster for more than 20 years and has been a PCS union rep for just over three years.

“I found one of my wage slips from 15 years ago. I’m now getting paid the same as I was then,” he said. “People are really starting to get frustrated and feeling the pinch.” 

Staff say the situation worsened after Covid-19. During the pandemic, staff agreed to work 12-hour shift patterns, up from their usual eight, so there would be fewer people on site at any one time. 

However, this temporary change became permanent after restrictions ended, with guards also losing six days of paid annual leave or rest days.

Although members voted to reject the changes and support strike action, prospective strikes in 2023 were averted to avoid disrupting King Charles’ first state opening of parliament as monarch. 

In July, an overwhelming 98 percent of members backed industrial action, giving them a six-month mandate to leave their workplace.

“We put our lives on the line,” said Harvey. Security staff check all people, vehicles and items entering the estate, and patrol areas to ensure MPs, peers, staff and other visitors are kept safe. “We just want to be appreciated for it.” 

Harvey raised the case of the late police officer Keith Palmer, who was fatally wounded by a terrorist outside the Palace of Westminster in 2017: “He got up, kissed his wife goodbye [and] never made it home.”

Barriers to entry 

When strikes take place, reinforcements are called in from the Met Police to ensure the parliamentary grounds are protected.

But the temporary departure of hundreds of staff undoubtedly has an impact. During the budget day strikes, the entry of guests was severely restricted as school visits, tours and various commercial events were canceled. 

A former senior parliamentary official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said “the usual conundrum is at play” between balancing the security of parliament and its staff while also ensuring the public can access their legislature. Both, they said, are an “absolute imperative.”

They add: “You want to give openness and access and, on the other hand, you want to have an absolutely watertight security system.” 

The dispute between the PCS and house authorities has already been referred to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service public body, which mediates on workplace disagreements. So far, no compromise is in sight. Harvey said more strike action would take place before the union’s mandate expires in January, and that a re-ballot of members is expected.

A U.K. parliament spokesperson said “parliamentary security staff are valued colleagues” and that further strike action is “disappointing, particularly given the continued engagement undertaken to try to resolve outstanding concerns.”

They added: “We remain committed to working closely with staff and unions to address the issues raised and to reach a resolution.”