Talks Over Potential UK Fuel Strike Resume Tuesday
April 10 2012 - 6:22AM
Dow Jones News
Talks between a union representing U.K. fuel-tanker drivers
threatening to strike and tanker companies have resumed Tuesday, a
spokesman for the union said.
Members of Unite, the union representing the fuel tanker
drivers, voted last month to take strike action if tankers
companies didn't agree to requests about improved working
conditions. A nation-wide strike by fuel-tanker drivers, which last
occurred in 2000, could lead to gasoline shortages at filling
stations across the U.K.
The strike would involve around 90% of drivers delivering fuel
to U.K. gas stations for 11 oil companies and could affect the fuel
retail operations of J. Sainsbury PLC (SBRY.LN), Tesco PLC
(TSCO.LN), Asda Group Ltd., a subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
(WMT), ExxonMobil's (XOM) Esso brand, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC
(RDSA), the union has said.
Discussions by U.K. arbitration group Acas to resolve the
dispute began Wednesday. According to U.K. law, Unite must strike
by April 23, 28 days after the union voted to take industrial
action. The union must also give seven days notice before taking
strike action.
The distribution firms affected by the ballot are Wincanton PLC
(WIN.LN), DHL, Hoyer Group, BP PLC (BP), J.W Suckling, Norbert
Dentressangle, and Turners. J.W. Suckling is not attending the
talks.
A spokeswoman for Wincanton PLC (WIN.LN) said Acas would release
a statement later this afternoon with an update on the talks, but
that it could not comment on the talks so far.
-By Jenny Gross, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420-7842-9239;
jenny.gross@dowjones.com
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