Gas strike ends with no progress

BRITISH Gas engineers end a five-day strike today, with no sign of breakthrough in the dispute over pay and conditions.

GMB members walked out on Thursday, accusing British Gas owners Centrica of planning to cut pay, terms and conditions under its bid to “fire and rehire” staff.

The strike involves around 4,500 service and repair engineers, 600 central heating installers, 540 electrical engineers, 170 specialist business gas engineers and 1,700 smart meter engineers, the union said, adding it was “provoked” into action.

GMB’s Justin Bowden said: “The only way for profitable British Gas to end this massive disruption is to take its outrageous ‘fire and rehire’ threat off the table.”

A Centrica spokesman said: “We’ve done everything we can with the GMB to avoid industrial action.”