A union has threatened a further 22 days of strike action if an agreement with the council over refuse collectors’ pay cannot be reached.

In documents seen by the Post the GMB announced another walk out starting on Wednesday, May 13 for 13 days and then again from May 30 for a further nine days.

The announcement comes amid the current eight-day strike which is due to end on Saturday, May 9.

Borough bosses claim the GMB want a £5,000 one-off payment for its members and a guaranteed 20-minute overtime window at the start of each day for safety pre-checks.

Two of the three unions caught up in the dispute, Unite and Unison, agreed a settlement with the council on Thursday (April 30) following three days of talks at ACAS.

This involved a reduction in overtime from half an hour to 15 minutes, and a one-off goodwill payment of £500 net for the average driver.

The council also agreed to push back the start date for implementation from July to November and stressed that refuse drivers’ terms and conditions will not be looked at again for two years.

Over 100 GMB members employed as bin lorry drivers for Barking and Dagenham council are in protest after it was announced the time allocated for pre-start checks will be slashed from 30 to 15 minutes.

The council says the change is to regulate the pay scale of drivers and those working at the same skill level in other public sector jobs.