Unite union says strike over safety standards and terms and conditions could close up to 7,900 petrol stations
The threat of a strike by fuel tanker drivers in a dispute over terms and conditions and safety standards has moved a step closer after they voted in favour of industrial action.
Around 2,000 members of Unite at seven companies were balloted for the first national campaign of action for over a decade. The vote was said to be overwhelming.
Unite drivers supply fuel to 90% of the UK's forecourts and the union said a strike could close up to 7,900 petrol stations.
Workers in seven major distribution companies were balloted for industrial action – Wincanton, DHL, Hoyer, BP, J W Suckling, Norbert Dentressangle and Turners.
The government has announced that soldiers are being lined up to stand in for the tanker drivers if strikes go ahead.
Members of Unite working for five fuel distribution firms delivering fuel for household names, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, BP, Shell and Esso, backed the call for strike action by an average of 69%. Turnouts across the five companies averaged 77.7%.
The results for the seven companies involved in the ballot are:
• Turners: 94.4% in favour on a turnout of 81.8%
• Norbert Dentressangle: 74.8% in favour on a turnout of 71.3%
• Wincanton: 68.4% in favour on a turnout of 71.9%
• BP: 60.2% in favour on a turnout of 85.8%
• Hoyer: 59.7% in favour on a turnout of 79.7%.
• DHL: drivers narrowly voted against strike action (44.6%), but voted in favour of action short of a strike (53%)
• Suckling: voted against strike action (85%) and action short of strike (76%).
Diana Holland, the Unite assistant general secretary, said: "These votes send a clear message throughout the industry and should prompt all the major companies to get around the table to establish minimum standards.
"This is not about pay – this is about ensuring that high safety and training standards are maintained, so that our communities are safe.
"It is about a simple measure, the creation of an industry-wide bargaining forum. It is about bringing fairness and stability back to an essential national industry."
A Hoyer spokesman said: "We are dismayed at the outcome of the Unite ballot for industrial action involving 650 drivers on our fuels contracts, particularly as only 215 drivers out of the 650 voted for strike action and we therefore believe that this action is being driven by a small disaffected group of employees.
"Hoyer has some of the best health, safety and training standards in the petroleum distribution sector."
He said pay and conditions for Hoyer drivers were among the best in the industry, at an average of £45,000 a year.
"They are well rewarded because they are professionals, highly trained and skilled in the work that they carry out, particularly with regard to health and safety.
"We have been actively engaged in discussions with Unite through the Industry Forum to examine ways in which these high health, safety and training standards can be applied across the industry but Unite walked away from those discussions."