British Gas workers will strike again for 6 days - here's why and if it will affect you

Thousands of British Gas workers will go on strike today (20 Jan) for the second time, over what they describe as a “fire and rehire” policy, which it’s claimed will cut staff pay and conditions.

Around 7,000 British Gas engineers and other workers are expected to participate in industrial action against British Gas’ owners, Centrica

Staff already took part in strike action over the same issue earlier this month, but the dispute is yet to be settled.

The strike was called by the GMB union, which has criticised Centrica boss, Chris O’Shea, for “refusing to listen” and called on the company to scrap the “fire and rehire” approach, which it says forces workers to accept worse new terms or face dismissal.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, British Gas engineers described feeling “bullied” by the process, and felt “intimidation tactics” were being used by their employer.

Will my service be affected by the strikes?

As well as today, British Gas staff will strike on the following days:

• 22 Jan
• 25 Jan
• 29 Jan
• 30 Jan
• 31 Jan
• 1 Feb

Centrica says it has “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.”

The GMB claims workers will not be paid extra for the additional working time which is written into the new contracts, although Centrica claim that “the vast majority of engineers” will be paid more through achieving customer targets.