U.K., Jan. 7 -- Centrica maintains it is in "urgent need of change" and introducing new terms and conditions to protect jobs and maintain a highly skilled teams of engineers, as GMB members at British Gas embarked on a national five-day strike today.
GMB conducted a strike ballot of 9,000 members in December 2020 in which it claims 89 percent voted in favour of industrial action, in response to 'fire and rehire' cuts - a figure contested by Centrica, which reports it was 52 percent. Various pickets are planned across the country, in line with Government guidance.
In a statement, Centrica said 83 percent of its workforce has already accepted new terms, in which base pay and pensions are protected.
A Centrica spokesperson said: "We've don...