LONDON. U.K. - The British government has advised motorists to take “sensible precautions” of stockpiling gasoline over fears of a potential strike by fuel tanker drivers."I do not want a strike to take place. I hope the talks will be successful, but in government you always have to prepare for any eventuality. The British people would expect that… If there is an opportunity to top up your tank if a strike is potentially on the way, then it is a sensible thing if you are able to do that," said British Prime Minister David Cameron at a press conference after chairing a Wednesday meeting.
Cameron made the comments hours after Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude advised drivers to store petrol “a little bit in the garage as well in a jerry can”.
- The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) warned that the advice to stockpile fuel would highly increase the risk of fire and explosion and called on the government to withdraw it.
- "There is a real danger the public will start storing fuel in inappropriate ways if the government is encouraging panic-buying and storage. This advice is wrong and must be withdrawn," said Matt Wrack, the FBU general secretary.
- On Monday, fuel tanker drivers voted for strike action to express their anger over their working conditions and health and safety regulations.
- Unite, the largest trade union in Britain, warned that the action could deplete petrol stocks within 48 hours while the Automobile Association said the panic caused by the potential strike would cause a 2 or 3 pence increase in the price of petrol.
The strike action could effectively paralyze Britain’s transport system as it could close up to 7,900 petrol stations across Britain.Earlier this week, the British government announced that it was drawing up contingency plans to deploy soldiers from the Royal Air Force to drive fuel tankers. However, the contingency plans might not yield the desired results as soldiers need at least eight days of training to be able to drive the tankers and Unite has not set a date for the strike.
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