Britain on strike as gas workers turn up the heat

The 8,000 GMB union members voted overwhelmingly for the strikes, increasing the pressure on the Labour government as it faces a potential "spring of discontent", peppered with industrial action from donor unions.

British Gas engineers have now joined BA cabin crew, railway staff and civil servants in backing strike action over pay and conditions. Staff have given British Gas a week to respond to their demands before confirming strike action.

Since 2001, the GMB has donated more than 12 million to Labour, and at the last election three Cabinet ministers, including Chancellor Alistair Darling, were in receipt of union cash to help fund local campaigns.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has already faced calls to condemn strikes by Labour donor Unite in a dispute with BA, and the party is under pressure to push its MPs and MSPs to cross picket lines during today's walkout by civil servant members of the PCS union.

Conservative chairman Eric Pickles condemned the action. "We are facing a spring of discontent as yet another union flex their muscles and threaten to walkout," he said. "We need a strong government to stand up for the interests of this country, not one that's reliant on union barons propping them up.

"If the Prime Minister has any grain of moral authority left, he will show some backbone and condemn this walkout."

But a spokesman for the Prime Minister attempted to distance him from the potential strikes.

"Clearly any industrial dispute is for the company and the relevant parties to resolve," he said.

The GMB said its members backed strikes by 82 per cent in the ballot, and industrial action short of a strike by 90 per cent in a high turnout of the 8,000 workers.

The union claims there is a "bullying culture" in the engineering operation of British Gas, which fits and repairs boilers and other household appliances.

Management insists it does not know the reason for the dispute, although it is seeking an extension to the working week, a move bitterly resisted by the workers.

The GMB claim management changes at British Gas have changed the company from being a reasonable employer where people had job satisfaction into one with a culture of bullying, customer exploitation and a "profits at all costs" mentality.

GMB general secretary Paul Kenny said: "The vote clearly vindicates what we have been telling the company. It is now time for them to sit up and take notice.

"We are giving British Gas a week to give us a constructive response. We want an independent inquiry into the profit at all costs culture at British Gas.

"We will met with shop stewards to determine what form of action should be taken should British Gas fail to lift the conflicting demands on its workforce."

British Gas director of heating services Matthew Bateman said: "We are not surprised by this ballot result, given the GMB's recent false accusations and reckless scaremongering. The GMB has still not told us the grounds for this dispute, even though we have asked several times. We are disappointed by the GMB's action."

He added: "We have robust contingency plans and remain committed to talking with the GMB and avoiding this unnecessary industrial action."

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