British Gas strike days 23 to 26 go ahead as Centrica announces £700m profit

27th February 2021

Fire and rehire  remains the main obstacle to a potential settlement from the talks at ACAS, says  GMB Union

British Gas engineers will strike for the 23rd day tomorrow as parent company Centrica announces adjusted operating profits of almost £700 million.

Preliminary results for the year ending December 2020 shows that Centrica recorded £699 million in adjusted operating profits, and a £52 million statutory profit compared to an £849 million loss in the previous 12 months.

Last summer, when British Gas decided on fire and rehire pay cuts for gas engineers, it was already a profitable company - as today's results confirm.  So there is no need to hurt workers, customers and shareholders.

Around 7,000 British Gas engineers will downed tools for four days from Friday, February 26 until Monday, March 1 over the company's plan to sack them all and rehire them on worse terms and conditions. 

These are strike days 23 to 26 of the ongoing dispute.

Talks between GMB and British Gas have taken place at ACAS, but GMB says the company's refusal to withdraw it fire and rehire plan remains the main obstacle to a potential resolution.

The field staff bargaining group rejected the fire and rehire cuts in December and has already taken part in 22 days of strike action.

Justin Bowden, GMB National Secretary, said: "Last summer, when British Gas decided on fire and rehire pay cuts for gas engineers, it was already a profitable company - as today's results confirm. 

"So there is no need to hurt workers, customers and shareholders. Refusing to take fire and rehire off the table is the main obstacle to a settlement at ACAS.

"Strike days  23 to 26 will go started at British Gas from Friday 26 February and GMB's executive has determined action could continue to mid-April in this deadlocked dispute. 

"After 22 days of strikes, more than 230,000 homes are in a backlog for repairs and 300,000 planned annual service visits have been axed.  

"The company is misleading the media that it is catching up after 24 hours." 

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Who owns The Energy Companies?

It might surprise you to learn which of the big six suppliers are owned and operated by foreign companies. Below you'll find a breakdown of where each big six company’s ownership lies.

However, most of the energy consumed in the UK is imported from other countries, so it's unlikely that 100% of your energy is British, even if the supplier is British-owned-and-operated.

Which big six energy suppliers are British?

British Gas

As its name suggests, British Gas is indeed British-owned. British Gas is the oldest energy company in the UK, having been founded in 1812 as the Gas Light and Coke Company (GLCC) before taking the name British Gas in 1973. Centrica, British Gas’ parent company, is a multinational utility company based in Windsor, Berkshire.

EDF Energy

EDF Energy was formed after French energy company Electricite de France purchased London Energy. Therefore, EDF Energy is French-state-owned. It is also one of the largest distribution network operators in the UK after taking control of the UK nuclear generator, British Energy.

SSE

SSE was formed in 1998 after a merger of Scottish Hydro Electric and Southern Electric. SSE's headquarters are located in Perth, Scotland. SSE also includes the sub-brands SSE Atlantic, SSE Southern Electric, SSE SWALEC and SSE Scottish Hydro.

npower

This big six supplier is owned by Innogy SE, a subsidiary of the German company RWE, which is an incorporation of Germany’s leading energy companies.

ScottishPower

ScottishPower was formed in 1990 after the state-owned Scottish electricity industry became privatised. Its headquarters may be located in Glasgow but, since 2006, the supplier has been a subsidiary of Spanish utility company Iberdrola.

E.ON

Founded in 1989, known back then as Powergen, this big six supplier was purchased by German energy company E.ON in 2002. Its headquarters are located in Dusseldorf.

What about small energy suppliers?

Small suppliers have been chipping away at big six marketshare since 2013 — and there are now more than 50 suppliers for UK households to choose from!

But which of those are British owned and operated? Just some of the popular small energy suppliers with their operations based right here in Great Britain include:

Bulb

Lumo

Octopus

Tonik