Labour Research April 2002

Features: Health and safety matters

Unions warn on gas safety

The GMB general union and public services union Unison have warned that the 2,400 job cuts proposed by Transco, the major maintainer and installer of gas pipelines in Britain could lead to a major safety failure. GMB national officer Brian Strutton said: "The proposed job cuts will put employees and the public at risk. Currently, gas workers are working overtime to ensure the safety of the public but these further cuts will threaten this delicate balance. Transco should review these cuts with the Health and Safety Executive in order to evaluate the situation before they are allowed to proceed."