Are these strikes at oil and energy plants going to have an impact on our petrol and power?

[Saltire]

I was watching it last night on the news and said to DH "it's like watching a news clip from the 80s"
If they do go and strike - and the BBC are reporting today that staff at Sellafield are meeting on Monday to decide whether to strike - is it going to have an impact on the power and fuel availiable? In the short term I mean

I have been looking out for a thread about this, can't say i Blame them for being fed up.

DP says it depends how long they are out for, he will find out on monday if he is going out on strike, he has worked at a few places that are striking and he thinks they are nessacery, he says the foreign labour arent as skilled are the workers here and their safety is horrendous, think he's on a rant now

ahem, a bit over the top imo.

Can all the countries in the world that are in the dumps like the UK then send all the ex-pats back home to England?

Surely there lots of British workers in India, Dubai, USA, Australia, Japan, etc>

I hate the use of the word FOREIGNER to refer to Italian workers that are perfectly entitled to work in the UK.

Sadly recession brings out the nastiest of people as my parents comment on their experiences in the 80's.

It all strikes me as having a distinctly worrying xenophobic and racist undercurrent too, or maybe that's the way the media are stirring it. Engineering round the world gets by pretty much on expat labour, and no-one gives a sh*t about this when times are good.

If these firms have policies of not employing local labour, only imported Italian and Portuguese labour, then surely they are breaking equal opportunities law, just as they would be if they said they would only employ English workers?

Interesting article in the Guardian about it today. here

here's another article

agree sunshine. We live in the EU now which means British workers get to work abroad and vice-versa.

Xenophobia is nasty as are those rioting on the back of it. I wish the media would stand up for the EU once in a while instead of backing the rabid patriotism.

How many Brits do work abroad?

Most of the energy companies have reserves in case of strikes or problems or issues with supply, so in the short term probably won't make any difference.

If it goes on for a long time, though...

it is easy to judge.....until it affects you. not all "british" workers are in a position to work abroad.
yet they still loose their jobs.

my DP finds out today if he is striking, i honestly dont think it will make any difference

Sellafield workers are now on strike.

ThePgHedgeWitchIsCrankyBeware I agree and you put that better than I could have.

I also agree with Hedgewitch, ok we are in the European union, but with the country in the situation it is now with job losses, recession etc, it should be a european Rule that countries should use their own labour through the hard times.

I have no problem with European Workers doing jobs here,but, when British people are losing their jobs and homes left right and center, it doesn't seem right that European workers are able to come here and take their jobs away.

dh has had this problem for ages, he goes to a site to ask if there is any work and he can't find someone who speaks emglish to ask....

English I think I need lessons

I don't think that British workers should have first preference on jobs in Britain.

I just think they should have an equal opportunity to apply for hte jobs, the same as Italian and Portuguese workers. I don't understand how it is legal that they don't, tbh.

doesn't work though as quite often the british worker is undercut pay wise.