British Gas workers are continuing to strike in New Malden over a "fire and re-hire" contract they say is being forced on them by parent company Centrica.

Field engineers with British Gas waved banners and flags and observed Covid safety measures at their picket in cold and wet conditions on Shannon Corner in New Malden on Monday (February 1) as they decried the new contracts drawn up by Centrica amid the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

A series of strikes by British Gas engineers that started in early January showed few signs of ending in New Malden as February started, with workers evidently willing to walk out in protest at the contracts they deem to be pay cuts forced on them by the company threatening to fire and then re-hire employees on the new terms.

Surrey Comet: British Gas field engineers observe Covid safety measures as they strike in New MaldenBritish Gas field engineers observe Covid safety measures as they strike in New Malden

"The company are holding fire and re-hire on us.

"We're striking on the basis that the company drop that threat and get back to negotiating a deal that is more acceptable to both parties," James, a British Gas field engineer who works in the area and is on strike currently, told the Surrey Comet.

The new contracts proposed by Centrica were previously accepted by most of the company's employees during the initial negotiation period, but James said that over 80 per cent of British Gas field engineers supported by GMB continue to reject the offer tabled by Centrica as a pay cut.

"The offers are varied between different departments or areas in the company, and some like us are offered a much worse deal," the engineer said.

"All the additional safety measures we have to be aware of working during coronavirus add a whole different level to the stress of the job as it is," James added.

Surrey Comet: Field engineers with British Gas are walking out over new contracts they say amount to pay cuts. Field engineers with British Gas are walking out over new contracts they say amount to pay cuts.

"It feels like a stab in the back in a way. The upper management during the first wave of the virus were praising us and saying we'd done such an amazing job by keeping people warm during the virus.

"As soon as it started to drop over the summer, they suddenly said they were now looking at restructuring.

"It felt like a really low blow from us being class effectively as key workers to then being hit with fire and re-hire."

Responding to a request for comment from the Surrey Comet, Centrica said the new contracts were necessary "to survive and protect 20,000 jobs" and acknowledged the fire and re-hire threat.

A spokesperson for the company said:

"Our business needs to change to survive and protect 20,000 jobs. We know change is difficult but we have offered a fair deal that has been negotiated over 300 hours with unions – where base pay and pensions are protected.

"Using dismissal and re-engagement has always been a final resort option. That’s why we have worked so hard to ensure that it has now been removed for a significant majority of our employees – eighty-three percent have already agreed to the new terms."