Striking gas engineers take their message to the streets of Torbay
The nationwide dispute is over new terms and conditions being imposed by the energy giant
STRIKING gas engineers took their message to the streets of Torbay this morning with a whistle-stop tour of local landmarks.
Drivers beeped their horns and waved as the strikers defied sub-zero temperatures to unfurl banners from Sainsburys bridge over the ring road at Paignton.
The engineers, all members of the GMB union, were on the eighth day of their industrial action against Centrica/British Gas. The nationwide dispute is over new terms and conditions being imposed by the energy giant, and what the union says is a threat to fire and then re-hire engineers if they do not sign up for the new deal.
Colleagues at Newton Abbot will be holding a similar demonstration on Friday.
Shop steward Chris Noakes said the strike action was a ‘last resort’.
He said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We don’t want to to strike, we want to be in customers’ homes doing what we do best.”
More than 4,000 engineers are striking across the country, with emergency cover for customers being maintained.
Torbay Council has already given its backing to the strikers with a letter to Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea.
The council says: “We are shocked at representations made to us that you are threatening to fire and re-hire thousands of workers, including our residents, if they do not accept your demands and agree to the changes proposed.
“We are also extremely disappointed to hear that you have refused to continue negotiations to come to a deal that will be made with the workforce instead of to them.
The letter points out that the council has spent almost £250,000 with Centrica in recent years.
A Centrica spokesperson said: “We’ve done everything we can with the GMB to avoid industrial action.
“While 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.”
Mr Noakes said they were keen to get back into negotiation with management.
“If they would agree to that, we’d get back into our vans this afternoon,” he said.
“We want to serve our customers.”
After leaving Sainsburys bridge the strikers were heading for Oldway, Paignton Pier, the ‘English Riviera’ floral display at the bottom of Hamelin Way and the Palm Court bridge on Torquay seafront.
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