Unions representing tanker drivers working for Shell have reached a deal with employers in their pay dispute, averting a new strike later this week.

The deal comes after two days of talks between the two sides and as drivers returned to work from four days of industrial action.

The stoppage, which started on Friday, led to hundreds of petrol stations across Britain running out of fuel.

The dispute involved 600 drivers working for two haulage firms.

In a joint statement, haulage firms Hoyer UK and Suckling and the union, Unite, said that they were "pleased to confirm that they have successfully concluded pay talks".

Drivers will now be balloted over the pay deal, which Unite is urging them to accept.

Union officials had been pushing for an offer that would have increased their basic salaries to £36,000, but the details of the settlement were not made available.

After the deal was announced, one driver working for Hoyer UK - one of the haulage firms involved - said: "As long as we have got the deal we are after and it's a fair one, then so be it. It's time to get back to work and get on with it."

The strike caused chaos for motorists in some parts of the country with more than 600 of the 8,700 petrol stations in the UK running out of unleaded and diesel fuels on Monday.

(BBC)

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