On Wednesday, 14 April, almost 500 British Gas engineers lost their jobs due to refusing to sign new contracts which contain changes to the terms and conditions.
British Gas gave their employees until noon on 14 April to agree to these new terms, which would require them to work more hours and receive less pay.
The company owners, Centrica, stated that around two per cent of the employees did not sign the contracts and subsequently left the firm. Centrica declined to give exact numbers as they said the number could change. 
The current national secretary of the general trade union GMB said that “Today (14 April) has been the largest mass dismissal in living memory and, this won’t be forgotten.
“Members are upset and angry that after everything, the company has still decided to do this.”
On 14 April, British Gas revealed they expected less than 500 engineers “to choose to leave”.
However, over the last 10 years, the company has seen its profits half, cutting more than 15,000 jobs and losing more than three million customers. 
GMB revealed that the “graveyards of vans” returned highlights how little the company cares about “either customers or staff”.
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