AS the strike involving members of Thurrock Council's environment team enters its second week today (Tuesday, 20 April) there may be moves afoot to reaching a solution with the council saying it was now seeking to take the issue to arbitration - which it hoped might happen next week.

Yesterday Thurrock Nub News visited the picket line at the Oliver Road depot (see film) and spoke to the Unite union regional representative Michelle Cook who outlined why members are taking action.

She explained that the union - and fellow unions the GMB and Unison - believe that the council is eroding the terms and conditions of its members in a review of allowances and overtime payments it wants to push through.

Ms Cook said some of the workers at the depot would be as much as £4,000 a year worse off. She stressed it is not a strike about increasing pay - but about not cutting pay for some members.

Last night Thurrock Council, which met with unions last week, issued an update on how it was dealing with the strike but also offered the hope of a solution to the dispute being ahead.

It says: "Thurrock Council remains engaged in consultation with all three Trade Unions and directly with staff. At last week's consultation meeting all three Trade Unions indicated a willingness to participate in ACAS conciliation with the council which we hope will take place this week."

The council also issued the following message to residents about bin collections: "Despite strike action beginning on Tuesday 13 April, the majority of household refuse waste collections were made across the borough last week and plans are in place to continue collections this week with any missed roads rolling over to the following day.

"Unite union members have now entered the second week of disruptive strike action starting at 9am every working day until Friday 7 May. This means they will be working less than half of their normal collection day, which starts at 6am.

"Collections will continue to prioritise general waste, including food waste. This applies to all households in Thurrock including low and high-rise blocks with communal bin stores. At this time, communal bin store crews continue to service these stores as normal.

During this time residents are asked to please:

• put your grey or green bin out for collection on the normal day and leave it out until collected
• put food waste and smaller items of garden waste in with general waste
• compress recycling as much as possible into your blue bin

"From Monday 19 April until Friday 7 May, residents can take bagged household waste to six dedicated drive-through drop-off points located across the borough.

"The sites will be available Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, and will accept household waste that hasn't been collected in the normal way. This is part of the council's plans to mitigate the impact on residents of current strike action affecting the waste collection service.

"Clear blue bags for extra recycling will also be available to collect from the drop-off points from Monday 19 April, while stocks last. More information including dates for when blue bags can be put out for collection alongside blue bins after the strike action ends will be announced in due course.

"Trade waste was collected as normal despite last week's strike action, as the council works hard to help the borough's businesses re-open safely in line with the government's COVID-19 roadmap to recovery.

"Further information and updates are available here."