HIGH-ranking officials at Thurrock Council have belittled claims by workers at its Oliver Close depot that they have been abandoned to their fate as Covid-19 runs rife.

Thurrock Nub News has been contacted by whistle-blowing workers at the site, where refuse, highways and other environmental teams – as well as a fleet engineering team - are based. And their claims that they are being badly treated by a council that wants to cover up its health and safety inadequacies have been backed up by a tearful wife who told us her husband is forced to put his family at risk after being told his job is on the line if he doesn't turn up for work.

However, the council has responded with equal clarity and claims the stories told to Thurrock Nubs News are not a reflection of the true picture at the depot – nor of the council's policies towards its staff.

It is claimed that a significant number of members of staff at the depot have tested positive for Covid-19 (a claim the council has not denied) but have still been urged to go to work, that there are no cleaning staff available to deep clean the depot staff areas because they have gone down with the bug – and that senior management are failing to turn up for work but are instead operating from their homes while expecting manual staff to go out in public.

We have also been told that the council's test and trace mechanism for staff is failing – a claim vehemently denied by the authority among its other rebuttals, which include saying that allegations that it is excluding the unions from planning for the ongoing crisis are not true.

A statement issued to Thurrock Nub News on Tuesday evening (29 December) by the council's communications team after we contacted the leader of the council Cllr Rob Gledhill and chief executive Lyn Carpenter, says: "The council can categorically confirm that there is no cover up.

"Officers of the council have been affected by Covid-19 and the council continues, as has been the case for the last nine months, to provide support through the appropriate mechanisms to those officers. The welfare of staff is a key priority for the council and every action is taken to ensure their ongoing safety.

"The number of officers off with Covid-19 is monitored on a daily basis which includes those self-isolating. The waste service did complete fully again today so while there are members of the team affected, the service has continued to be delivered. There is a full system of support available for all officers who may be concerned about Covid-19 and this is communicated widely at least weekly as a reminder to all.

"In relation to test and trace, these comments are incorrect. The council has invested heavily in its own test and trace system which is proving more effective than the national one and is therefore increasing the ability of Thurrock to respond to this global pandemic and the latest strain of the virus which is affecting millions of people as is evident.

"With regards keeping the unions up to date, meetings have been ongoing very regularly and they are fully sighted on the Covid-19 issue and impact, how the council is supporting officers and how it is dealing with Covid-19 to keep staff safe. They are able to raise issues directly with senior managers and are very much kept informed as well as involved in discussions about any actions to be taken."

Despite saying services are continuing, the council yesterday was forced to close the civic amenity tip at Linford early because of 'staff shortages'.

The council was responding after being asked by Nub News to consider the following, which came about after discussion with a number of sources within the depot – and union members who say they have been disenfranchised by the council on all matters because of an ongoing dispute of potential cuts to pay and conditions.

"Thurrock Nub News has been contacted this afternoon by Thurrock Council staff - and a desperately worried wife of one member of your teams - that Covid-19 is "running rife" among the teams of people employed at Oliver Road depot across a number of departments.

"We have been advised that a significant number of members of staff in the waste collection and fleet departments - plus a number of other workers including site cleaning staff have been infected with Covid. That includes one member of the team being rushed to hospital this afternoon seriously ill.

"The allegation is that there has been a concerted effort by management to 'cover up' the extent of the number of people with Covid at this site.

"We are advised told that the manager responsible for health and safety at the site has made only rare visits to the site in recent days and has not stayed long - nor have appropriate investigations and subsequent warning been given.

"It is alleged that members of staff are not being told that members of other teams who they might have been in contact with have been infected.

"We are told there is minimal use of the 'track and trace ' system at the depot."

Thurrock Nub News editor Neil Speight added: "Publishing this story is not taken lightly, but for almost nine months we have been getting bad vibes coming from inside Oliver Road about the actions of the management there and having personally spoken to people who I believe are telling the truth, but who say they are too frightened to speak up, I believe it is the duty of a reasonable local media to put all these issues in the public domain.

"There are two sides to every story and I hope we have aired both sides fairly. Only time will judge on who's side the truth lies."