Due to petrol tanker drivers threatening strike action next month, the Army and police are on standby to try to ensure that fuel deliveries do not stop. The outcome of a strike ballot of 2,000 tanker drivers is expected shortly and a strike could begin in early April.
The Government appealed to the unions and employers to come to an agreement and avoid the strikes. However, plans are in place that could see the armed forces driving tankers and the police preventing blockades.
The union, Unite, has warned that strikes could hit petrol supplies at supermarkets, garages and airports causing disruption across the country. Unite’s 2000 drivers supply 90% of the fuel to UK forecourts and could force the closer of up to 7,900 petrol stations. Unite claims there has been “unrelenting attacks” on drivers’ terms and conditions and safety standards.