UK makes fuel strike contingency plans

Proposals have been agreed to by negotiators for Unite, Britain’s largest union, and six oil companies, which could mean that Britain’s fuel tanker drivers might not stage a strike.

Nonetheless, the British government has said it continues to keep contingency plans in place after it was heavily criticized for its response to a potential fuel strike before the Easter weekend.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Cabinet Minister Francis Maude called on the British people to store jerry cans of petrol inside their home.

Furthermore, British MPs compared the government’s response to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s response to a major strike by British miners in 1984-5 when she stored stockpiled coal and converted some power stations to enable the burning of petroleum.

Following the government’s push for a panic buying of petrol, a woman caught fire and suffered 40% burns to her entire body while decanting petrol she had stored in her home.

Moreover, media reports told of more than £32 extra fuel excise duty for the British government due to increased petrol sales from panic buying.

Despite agreements between Unite and oil companies, a government spokesman said: “We will continue to work on contingency plans to increase the country’s resilience in the event of a strike.”

Nick Dennis of Unite slammed the government’s decision saying “The government is not being helpful in the way they’ve handled this situation.”

ISH/MF/HE

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