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Page added on March 29, 2012
Fuel Shortages Reported as UK Drivers Fill Up on Strike Threat
Shortages were reported at U.K. filling stations as car owners filled tanks in response to the the threat of a strike by fuel-tanker drivers.
A rush to buy gasoline and diesel has caused queues and shortages in places, according to the AA, a motorists’ organization. They said the race to buy fuel was unnecessary and the result of bad advice from Prime Minister David Cameron.
While tanker drivers voted this week to strike for better conditions, their union has yet to set a date for action and said a walkout may yet be averted through negotiation. The government yesterday advised motorists to fill tanks to ensure they can keep driving if supplies are disrupted.
“We now have self-inflicted shortages due to poor advice about topping up the tank,” AA President Edmund King said in a statement. “This is turn has led to localized shortages, queues and some profiteering at the pumps.”
About 2,000 drivers delivering fuel to 90 percent of the U.K.’s gas stations are involved in the dispute. No date has been set for the strike and seven days notice must be given, a union official said today.
The U.K. has enough fuel to meet demand even in the event of a strike, according to the country’s oil industry.
“There’s no supply problem,” Nick Vandervell, a London- based spokesman at UKPIA, a petroleum industry group, said today by phone. “People need to stick to their normal fuel patterns.”
Mixed Messages
Cameron is “presiding over a shambles” as the government gives mixed messages on contingency plans, opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said yesterday that drivers would be wise to keep their cars topped up and have a spare can of gasoline or diesel at home. Roads Minister Mike Penning said today Maude’s advice was wrong.
“The prime minister needs to get a grip and calm the situation,” Miliband said in an e-mailed statement. “David Cameron and Francis Maude should apologize to the country for the way they have handled this situation.”
Unite, the U.K.’s biggest labor union, is seeking minimum standards for fuel distributors over pensions, training, health and safety, pay and hours. The union has asked the government to intervene to avoid industrial action. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, or Acas, is mediating.
5 Comments on "Fuel Shortages Reported as UK Drivers Fill Up on Strike Threat"
BillT on Thu, 29th Mar 2012 3:13 pm
Let the gas wars begin…lol.
BTW: Anonymous plans to take down part of the US internet on Saturday, so I hear. Should be an interesting weekend.
Ham on Thu, 29th Mar 2012 4:04 pm
North Sea decline last year was 18%. How much oil UK going to get if Iran is bombed? Answers on a postcard to the Russian Embassy. Toy rubber ducks that go ‘Quack!’ should be sent to the Israeli Embassy.
DC on Thu, 29th Mar 2012 8:17 pm
Given how wasteful and in-efficent our gas-burning trash-bins actually are, I often wonder what people expect to gain by ‘filling’ up. A few days, or a couple commutes later and its all gone. Unless you have a 1000 gallon storage drum in your backyard, ‘filling’ up with 5 or 10 gallons or w/e seems almost pointless. But, were creatures of habit I guess. Nowadays, if you got 2 or 3 days ‘extra’ gas on hand, I guess that feels like your secure for rest of your life..
Kenz300 on Fri, 30th Mar 2012 3:37 pm
Electric vehicle owners can wave as they drive by the fuel stations.
Gleb on Fri, 30th Mar 2012 11:49 pm
Just think, the USA where I live does nothing about the looming catastrophe. To avert panic they continue to tell us “there’s plenty of oil”. I’m thinking few years and not decades in our coming doom.