It already seems as though the threat of fuel strikes has been hanging over us for some time now, but the news this week that an offer has been rejected means it is yet to last.
As the AA revealed today the price of petrol is back on the rise, ACAS announced that talks aimed at averting strikes by fuel tanker drivers are to resume next week after the previous agreement was voted against.
According to the BBC – “The four-page draft agreement – drawn up by the conciliation service – covered areas such as pay, health and safety, training and pensions.”
Meanwhile, figures from the AA show that petrol prices have risen by 10.23p a litre and diesel by 7.32p a litre, since the beginning of this year. The motoring association blamed, in part, speculators for pushing the prices up. AA president Edmund King explains:
“Panic buying in March forced some cash strapped families to spend far more on fuel than their budgets could bear.
“Filling up a 50-litre tank costs more than some families spend on food each week. This panic buying masked a more persistent threat further up the fuel chain.”
Military drivers are currently being put through training courses that will enable them to driver tankers and deliver fuel should a strike be called.