ANOTHER strike by workers at Thurrock Council may have moved nearer after an offer regarding changes to the pay and conditions was rejected.

Earlier this year members of the Unite union in the council's environmental services department won a significant number of changes to plans by the council to change their terms of employment.

It took a six week strike by bin collectors and other workers angry about the council's plan to change allowances and overtime pay before the dispute was settled as the council made an offer guaranteeing pay.

But the proposed changes were also set to impact on other sections of the council's workforce, including members of the GMB union who work in adult social care. Members of the Unison union were also unhappy about the changes.

The care workers, including staff at borough homes including Collins House in Corringham were also up in arms and they mounted a protest outside the council's civic offices to air their grievances.

And sources within the union have told Thurrock Nub News that the anger is still running deep and the new offer by the council has now been rejected - opening the door for possible industrial action.

A GMB member told us: "We received the amended offer from the council and have considered it carefully but as a group we remain very unhappy. After everything we have had to go through, it is clear the council does not recognise the value of the work we do and we feel we have been treated with disrespect and the role of care workers in Thurrock is not valued as it should be.

"We have been on the front line through the pandemic while the decision-makers in the council have sat at home in safety - yet they want to cut our wages and allowances and push our members onto the breadline as a reward for all they do.

"The offer from the council was put to members and 96 per cent of the staff have voted on it. 100 per cent of those have rejected it.

"We will be asking for further talks with the council but the possibility of strike action by our members is now very much on the table."