20 December 2005
Proposed strikes by British Gas engineers on December 21st were shelved after the GMB Union agreed a new pension deal with Centrica bosses.
Planned strikes on January 6th and 9th were also scrapped.
Under the new agreement Centrica will allow 1,700 apprentices and junior staff to join its pension scheme, although from next March new starters will have to enter an alternative scheme based on career-average wages.
Chris Weston, head of British Gas Home Services, expressed relief over the agreement.
"I am pleased that we have managed to reach a sustainable agreement that I believe will help the viability of the final salary scheme for our existing staff, while also offering an excellent pensions package for new engineers," he said.
He added: "Most of all I'd like to thank our customers for their patience and co-operation during Monday's strike when we prioritised work to the most vulnerable cases."
Brian Strutton, national secretary of the GMB union, said that although he was "disappointed" at Centrica's decision to close its current pension scheme to newcomers in March he was "pleased that we have won the opportunity for another 1,700 current employees to join the scheme".
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