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December 7, 2011 – Planning to apply for visas to travel to Australia? Travelers intending to apply for Australia holiday visa or are processing their Australia travel visa and are needing new passports before Christmas are being advised to apply today as a 12-hour strike is expected to happen in a printing facility.

Security guards of Note Printing Australia in Craigieburn, a printing facility in Victoria that prints passports, are set to shut down the facility on Wednesday. This move would delay the processing of 8000 passports and printing of 410,000 bank notes, putting travelers’ holiday plans in jeopardy.

According to Jess Walsh, state secretary of United Voice, the MSS Security guards are going on strike for a 4 per cent pay increase.

Ms. Walsh further added that due to the strike, the Note Printing Australia will shut down which could cause delays in the processing of passports for people travelling to Australia on holiday visa Australia over the Christmas holidays. However, the guards did not want to inconvenience people planning their holidays, they just want to fight for fair pay and respect. They do not intend to cause ruin to anyone’s Christmas plans. So they urged that travelers who are planning to holiday in Australia lodge their passport applications straight away, before the strike begins.

The strike could continue throughout the month so Ms. Walsh is encouraging people planning for a holiday Australian immigration to also apply for their passports now in order to avoid delay and get them in time.

Note Printing Australia prints more than three million of the new high-tech N-series passports every year as well as 150 million bank notes. The new high-tech N-series passports are the type of passport that includes a microchip.

However, according to a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman, contingency plans are in place and that travelers will still be able to get their passports within the standard 10 working day processing time.

The spokeswoman further explains that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Note Printing Australia have ample reserves of blank passports that could cover a range of possible contingencies, including industrial action. Australians who wish to apply for a passport to travel before Christmas need not change their plans.

So if you are applying for an Australia visa right now, get also a passport if you need one, to make sure that your Christmas in Australia will not be delayed.

source:
heraldsun.com.au