BRITISH GAS engineers launched a fresh wave of strikes today against the company’s fire-and-rehire attack on their pay and conditions.

Four successive days of industrial action will see 7,000 members of the GMB union on strike until Monday, bringing the number of strike days to 12.

The union, warning of a “complete breakdown” in industrial relations with the company, said that its action was causing a huge backlog of appointments, although British Gas insisted it had contingency plans in place.

GMB national officer Justin Bowden said: “The strikes provoked by British Gas leave more than 150,000 homes in a backlog for services, and 200,000 planned annual-service visits were axed in January.”

Commenting on the company’s repeated claim that a large majority of workers have already accepted new contracts, Mr Bowden said: “Field engineers have decisively rejected the new contracts, with eight strike days against it.

“A lethal mix of deceit, a failure to grasp reality and wishful thinking that engineers will acquiesce on pay 15 per cent below agreed rates and other changes has led to a complete breakdown in industrial relations between British Gas and the field engineers’ bargaining group.”

He also dismissed the company’s claim that fire and rehire was a last resort, pointing out that initial redundancy notices had been sent out before negotiations had even begun.