A crunch meeting has been held between union members and management in a bid to halt an all-out rubbish collection strike.

Members of Unite, the public services union, have voted to take unanimous action over Medway Norse's approach to coronavirus safety.

The company, based at Gillingham Pier, runs Medway Council's refuse collection, street cleaning and grounds maintenance contract.

Medway Council says it is working closely with Medway Norse and collections are unaffected at this time and has "robust business continuity plans in place to ensure the service will continue over the coming months."

Unite's regional officer, Phil Silkstone, has written to more than 150 members following Wednesday's conference call meeting, describing Medway Norse's "business as usual" policy.

Among their grievances were the close proximity in which they work – with three in the cab of lorries and vans, which doesn't allow the two metre social distancing Public Health England guidelines say should be enforced in the workplace where possible.

Mr Silkstone said that managers had turned down their request for improved protective equipment to prevent the virus from spreading.

But he said they had agreed to allow employees suffering from illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer, to go off work and stay at home.

Members have already agreed to a postal vote which could lead to an across the board walkout in less than five weeks.

Alternatively, if another vote goes through on Monday – deeming that they are not working in a safe environment – they could take imminent industrial action by withdrawing labour.

KentOnline received pictures taken this morning of four collectors sat in the hub of a refuse cart.

Shop steward Kevin Woods said in other parts of the country local authorities had agreed to reduce the number to two, a driver and a loader.

"We know that waste collections are an essential service for our residents"

A spokesman from Medway Norse said the company did not wish to comment.

Ruth Du-Lieu, Medway Council's assistant director of frontline services, said: “Our household waste and recycling collections are continuing as normal in Medway.

"We know that waste collections are an essential service for our residents and we have robust business continuity plans in place to ensure the service will continue over the coming months.

"We are continuing to work closely with Medway Norse and we would like to thank residents for their support during these unusual times.”

Read more: All the latest news from Medway