THURROCK Council's growing industrial dispute with members of staff and three unions is widening - and next week will bring a full stop to domestic waste bin collections as striking workers step up their action.

The Unite union has been striking for part of the day since early April but is now set to go into all out withdrawal of labour mode [.L] in the dispute over pay and conditions.

It looks likely no household waste collections will take place between Monday, 10 May and Friday, 28 May.

The extended action will cover the entire working day, meaning striking waste collection crews will not work at all on any weekday during that period, preventing household waste collections from taking place. In previous weeks, striking crews have collected waste between 6am and 9am. This will cease from Monday.

Thurrock Council cannot carry out household waste collections during this period as it is legally prevented from taking on any agency workers to perform the duties of a striking employee.

The council is planning to create additional waste drop-off points across the borough to allow residents to dispose of bagged household waste and prevent it from pilling up. Details about exactly where these sites will be and hours of operation will be released as soon as possible.

More information about the existing drop-off points can be found here.

The council says that during the extended strike action residents should:

• not put any bins out for collection
• use waste drop-off points to dispose of the most unpleasant waste, including food waste and smaller items of garden waste
• rinse out and compress recycling as much as possible in the blue recycling bin to ensure recycling waste is contained

A statement from the authority says: "Thurrock Council will continue to support those who already receive an assisted waste collection or are not physically able to take waste to a drop-off point themselves. The council remains in discussions with all three trade unions (Unite, GMB and Unison), including through meetings facilitated by ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service).

The dispute is over plans by the council to make changes to allowances, bonuses and overtime payments to a wide range of staff - mostly at the sharp end of the council's interaction with the public including its environmental services teams, care workers and even security guards at council premises.

While only Unite has taken direct action so far, the GMB and Unison are reported to be moving near to stepping up their dispute. Recently the GMB held a protest meeting outside the Civic Offices in Grays.