British Gas engineers in High Wycombe have joined their colleagues on strike in an ongoing row over pay and conditions.
Members of the GMB have staged 12 strikes this year and will walk out again on Friday for four days, as the union campaigns against new contracts it says cut pay and increase the working week for engineers under a so-called fire and rehire policy.
Local engineers also joined socially-distanced picket lines near the top of Marlow Hill and on Parker Knoll Way in High Wycombe.
They say the changes will affect more than 35 engineers in the Bucks area.
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One High Wycombe gas engineer, who wanted to remain anonymous amid fears of retribution, said it had caused "stress, anxiety and sleepless nights" for him and his colleagues.
He said: "I love my job and love serving our customers, but for the last six months of so we have been bullied and intimidated to sign the contract. As group of engineers we are taking a stand.
"We are not looking for more money, we just want management to listen to us, listen to their customers, listen to the politicians and come to a sensible resolution. We just want fire and rehire taken off the table."
National officer Justin Bowden said British Gas has "recklessly provoked this dispute", saying the fire and rehire changes means engineers' hourly pay rate would be 15 per cent below agreed pay rates, with worse terms and conditions.
He said: “These four days of strikes will add to more than 170,000 homes in repair backlog and 200,000 service visits axed.
“Staff in the field engineers bargaining group will not accept the new contract. Twelve days of solid strike action shows this.”
British Gas says it has contingency plans for dealing with the strikes, and insists the new contracts are aimed at saving jobs.
A British Gas spokesman said: “Our business needs to change to survive and protect 20,000 jobs.
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“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 – 83 per cent have already agreed to the new terms.”
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