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Tanker drivers dispute
14/06/2008
On the second day of a UK fuel dispute, figures for Scotland show normal demand from consumers and fewer than one per cent of filling stations stocked out.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said:
"During the recent Grangemouth dispute the people of Scotland behaved responsibly, conserving fuel and only purchasing fuel when they required.
"Our information is that the Scottish public is responding in the same way this time and we congratulate them on their continued good sense.
"Information today shows fewer than one per cent of stations across the country have no supplies.
"There are some localised issues however we expect to get through this short disruption to part of the UK fuel supply system in the same way we did over the recent Grangemouth dispute.
"The advice of motoring organisations is that if you don't need to fill up during the strike then don't, and in that same common sense spirit it is sensible to defer fuel purchase where possible until the strike is over.
"We would encourage the parties to resume talks in order to resolve this dispute quickly."
The Scottish Government's contingency team has been meeting since Tuesday to anticipate the likely impact of this UK dispute on Scotland and to coordinate work with fuel companies and local partners to minimise disruption to people and businesses.
All essential services will operate normally throughout the strike.