|
|
| Línea 1: |
Línea 1: |
| An Easter strike by fuel tanker drivers has been ruled out by the Unite union.
| |
|
| |
|
| It is to join conciliation talks and says there may still be a strike after Easter if those fail.
| |
|
| |
| Government advice to drivers to top up tanks has been blamed by retailers for causing "panic buying". Demand for petrol rose 172% on Thursday, and diesel 77%, said independent experts.
| |
|
| |
| In York, a woman suffered 40% burns on Thursday when petrol ignited as she was decanting it in her kitchen.
| |
|
| |
| The union announced on Friday morning that there would be no strike over Easter.
| |
|
| |
| In a statement, assistant general secretary Diana Holland said: "We do still retain the right to call strike action for after Easter should those talks break down."
| |
|
| |
| Some 90% of UK forecourts are supplied by the Unite union's 2,000 or so members at the centre of the dispute.
| |
|
| |
| Unite's drivers, who deliver fuel to Shell and Esso garages and supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's, have called for minimum working conditions covering pay, hours, holiday and redundancy.
| |
|
| |
| Conciliation service Acas says it hopes talks between employers and unions will take place shortly after Monday.
| |
| Contingency plans
| |
|
| |
| Queues formed at many petrol stations across the country on Thursday as demand for fuel rose.
| |
| Continue reading the main story
| |
| �Start Quote
| |
|
| |
| It is for the employers and unions to resolve their issues by getting around the negotiating table and talking�
| |
|
| |
| DECC spokeswoman
| |
|
| |
| Some garages ran dry but retailers said they were coping and normal deliveries would ensure supplies were replenished.
| |
|
| |
| Anticipating a strike they describe as "completely wrong", ministers have called for motorists to keep their cars "topped up" but urged people not to queue.
| |
|
| |
| On Thursday, Energy Secretary Ed Davey advised that people "just need to do the sensible thing... get a full tank of petrol, not a half-tank".
| |
