GMB union members at British Gas in Leicester has began 5 days of industrial action, following a 89% vote in favour of strike action. British Gas is a major employer in Leicester, and the city is home to their Aylestone road centre which employs hundreds of local gas workers.
This decision has been made in response to the refusal of British Gas CEO, Chris O’Seah, to take fire and re-hire off the table in pay negotiations with British Gas workers. Pay talks kicked off last year with British Gas parent company, Centrica, threatening to dismiss the entire workforce if they didn’t accept management proposals, including worse terms and conditions.
140 MPs (including Leicester’s Jon Ashworth and Claudia Webbe) wrote to British Gas in December demanding fire and re-hire tactics are taken off the table.
Government guidance has allowed for the picketing of workplaces during lockdown.
GMB petition on fire and re-hire - https://www.gmb.org.uk/campaign/i-back-british-gas-workers
Prime Minister agrees with GMB Union fire and rehire is an exploitative negotiation tactic and one which has caused real anger and hurt
A cross-party group has written to Centrica boss Chris O’Shea to call on him to withdraw threats to fire and rehire the entire British Gas field workforce of engineers.
In the strongly worded missive, the MPs say the company’s actions have “tarnished the reputation of a great British company.”
The Prime Minister today agreed that fire and rehire is an exploitative negotiation tactic and one which has caused real anger and hurt.
The letter, whose signatories include the SNP’s Gavin Newlands MP, Lib Dem Wera Hobhouse MP and Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds MP, calls on the company to reach a negotiated agreement with the union.