Photo Credit: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fuel-tanker-drivers-vote-to-strike-773064
The UK government has been accused of instigating a frenzy among the public after suggesting that people should store up on fuel due to the possibility of a petrol strike. Police and fire services have temporarily closed down certain petrol stations in areas such as Chelsea due to extremely long lines of cars waiting to fill up. Additionally, there have been arguments between consumers and spillages caused by overfilling which jeopardize the well-being of road users.
Geoff Dunning, the Chief Executive of the Road Haulage Association, reasoned that the possibility of a strike by Unite, a member of the union, is unlikely because those voting for strike action are not a majority. Nick Maton, Chief Inspector of Dorse Police, advised people to not give in to the panic. Finally, Keely Scanlan, a spokesperson from the Petrol Retail Association (PRA), criticized the government for hastily making announcements regarding a strike when there is still great uncertainty as to whether one will occur, as well as failing to come in contact with PRA to advise them on how to best resolve the situation.
Based on reports yesterday, the union Unite excluded the possibility of a strike during Easter. However, it is estimated that petrol sales have increased by 172%, diesel sales by 77%. The hike in sales resulted in thousands of petrol stations to run out of fuel. Moreover, ambulances were jammed waiting for fuel which endangered even more lives, as many plea for the government to enact emergency measures. After such fall outs, many are calling for Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office Minister to resign, after he advised the public to store fuel in jerry cans, as the rest of the country endeavors to find an effective, quick solution.
