Fuel tanker drivers in the North West are balloting for industrial action in a dispute over job cuts and an "attack" on working conditions.
The staff are employed by Hoyer Petrolog UK at the Stanlow oil refinery and the fuel storage facility in Bramhall, Cheshire, and deliver to petrol stations, supermarkets and airports.
Drivers and Unite the Union have said if they vote to strike later this month, it could create "serious disruption to fuel deliveries".
Hoyer is proposing to make six of the 20-plus workers redundant - a decision the firm says has "not been taken lightly".
Unite regional officer Steve Gerrard, said: “Hoyer is drinking in the last chance saloon, if it is serious about avoiding highly disruptive industrial action.
“Unite has proposed detailed alternatives to avoid job losses but these have been rejected by Hoyer’s local management.
“If industrial action is taken it will be absolutely as a last resort, but it has to be understood this will have a huge impact on fuel deliveries across a large chunk of England.
“It is imperative that Hoyer returns to the negotiating table and enters into meaningful negotiations to save jobs and avoid the need for industrial action and the inevitable disruption this will cause.”
The workers began balloting for industrial action last Friday, and the ballot will close on October 9.
Hoyer said it has "some of the best drivers in the industry" who are critical to its services, but said the decision to make redundancies was a result of the "dramatic reduction" in retail and aviation fuel volumes since the lockdown began in March.
During Covid-19, the company’s aviation volumes dropped to just 5% of normal levels, more recently settling at around 40%. The firm said that further tightening of lockdown restrictions will "in no way improve these current volumes" - whilst it is clear "we will not return to ‘normal’ for at least the next 12 months, if at all".
Hoyer proposed six alternative roles guaranteeing "no redundancies for 12 months" including a temporary short-time working/lay off clause to be used in "extreme circumstances". But Unite said those jobs would allow the company "to lay workers off without pay or warning".
Unite said the negotiations had been "detailed and lengthy" - in order to seek to avoid job losses - but that talks have now broken down.
A spokeswoman for Hoyer said: “Against an unprecedented economic backdrop Hoyer has strived to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on our business and on the livelihoods of our drivers and staff. Since the start of the crisis we have topped up all wages to 100% of basic pay for all those who have been furloughed and supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
"However, the huge reduction in volumes, with an increasingly uncertain future, means retaining jobs for all our drivers is unsustainable.
“Despite this, we remain committed to working with Unite The Union to ensure that all viable jobs can be secured and we look forward to receiving their costed alternative proposals. In the meantime, we are finalising our contingency plans to ensure any unwanted industrial action will not impact our valued customers or consumers.”
