A series of strikes being held by 400 Certas tanker drivers is set to pose a Christmas headache for the forecourt sector.
Certas tankers deliver fuel to around 400 Gulf-branded filling stations – around 5% of all UK forecourts – plus Certas-owned sites that wear Shell, and Valvoline liveries.
The action is set to begin with a one-day strike on Monday, December 22, with further strikes planned across two seven-day periods: January 5 to 11, then January 19 to 25.
Certas drivers are said to be dissatisfied with a 2% pay offer that, when taken in conjunction with inflation of 4.3%, effectively represents a pay cut.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, comments that drivers “expect a fair pay rise from their employer”, and her union is “backing them all the way”.
Unite’s national officer, Tony Devlin, says the strikes will “inevitably cause severe disruption for Certas’ clients”, but says this was “entirely the fault of the company for offering a pay cut dressed up as a rise”.
Devlin says it was possible the action could be called off, but this “will require a pay offer that is acceptable to our members”.
Certas has been approached for comment.
