British Gas engineers begin five-day strike
British Gas engineers have begun a five-day strike over pay - forcing Centrica to activate "contingency plans" so that vulnerable customers are not left without winter heating.
Nearly 90pc of 9,000 GMB members at the company's parent firm Centrica voted for a walkout last month, arguing workers were being pushed onto longer hours for lower wages.
Those taking part in the strike include 4,500 service and repair gas engineers and 600 heating installers. It started at one minute after midnight on Thursday.
Centrica's new boss Chris O'Shea said in June he would cut 5,000 jobs and change workers' terms as the company grapples with the pandemic and adapts to longer term market changes.
One engineer wrote on Twitter: "With regret, after working for British Gas for over 30 years, I will be on strike from midnight tonight for five days.
"This has been a horrible decision to make. Whilst working all through this pandemic for our customers including deliveries for local food banks on days off, we were unknowingly having new terms and conditions drawn up behind our backs.”
A spokesman for Centrica said: "We've done everything we can with the GMB to avoid industrial action.
"Whilst we've made great progress with our other unions, sadly the GMB leadership seems intent on causing disruption to customers during the coldest weekend of the year, amid a global health crisis and in the middle of a national lockdown.
"We have strong contingency plans in place to ensure we will still be there for customers who really need us, and we'll prioritise vulnerable households and emergencies."
Justin Bowden, GMB National Secretary said: “British Gas boss Chris O’Shea’s attempts to bully workers into accepting cuts to their pay and terms and conditions has provoked this inevitable outcome – massive disruption to customers in the depths of winter and a stain on the reputation of an historic company and brand.
“GMB is calling on the public to ask why British Gas CEO Mr O’Shea is provoking an engineers’ strike with ‘fire and rehire’ pay cuts, in the depths of winter."
