A bitter dispute between British Gas and its employees saw pickets gathered outside British Gas' parent company Centrica in Windsor yesterday morning.

Meanwhile both sides of the dispute are putting their case as engineers and other workers prepare to down tools tomorrow (Friday), with further strikes planned on January 25, 29, 30, 31 and February 1.

This week GMB union regional organiser Michelle Gordon said a strike followed the company's decision to demand employees work an extra 156 hours a year for no extra pay.

ALSO VIEW: Fresh strikes by British Gas engineers announced

She said employees had been told to accept the changes or face being fired and rehired under the new arrangements.

She said: "They are taking a very strong line and don't want to negotiate.

"We have said they have to take 'fire and rehire' off the table. We won't accept a gun being held against our heads."

A Centrica spokesperson said the company had negotiated for a total of 300 hours.

He said: "We have strong contingency plans in place to ensure we will still be there for customers who really need us, and we’ll prioritise vulnerable households and emergencies.

ALSO VIEW: British Gas workers picket Centrica in Windsor this morning

"We’re operating in an incredibly competitive market and British Gas has lost too many jobs and too many customers over recent years.

"We can’t continue like this. We need to take action to modernise and refocus the company in line with what our customers need now, not what they needed 20 years ago.

"Our pay for engineers will remain the highest in the sector, but we need to get productivity back to where it used to be and for some, we need to increase the working week from 37 to 40 hours."

The spokesman said that 83 per cent of employees had already accepted the new terms.