Fuel tanker strike talks to resume next week

A FRESH round of talks between unions and management aimed at avoiding a potentially crippling strike by fuel tanker drivers was announced last night.

Arbitration service Acas said that the talks would reopen on Monday, following the breakdown of previous negotiations between the Unite union and representatives of six fuel distribution companies.

The news came as an earlier ballot on industrial action was due to expire today, with the union under pressure to name strike dates unless employers agreed to extend the deadline.

However, Peter Harwood, Acas’s chief conciliator, said the deadline had been extended until Tuesday to allow the two sides to reach an agreement on the dispute over working conditions.

Meanwhile, Douglas Robertson, chief executive of the Scottish Motor Trade Association, appealed to motorists not to panic buy at petrol stations, as he called for a “positive outcome” from any new round of talks.

He said: “We’d like to see a settlement, but if there’s new talks hopefully the deadline will be extended. There’s still a lot of room for negotiation and the message at the moment to motorists is don’t panic buy.”