Refuse worker strikes in Thanet have been called off ahead of agreements to hold last-minute talks.

GMB union members were set to stage a walkout on Monday amid calls to be paid £15 for bin lorry drivers and £12 for loaders.

But industrial action will be shelved after Thanet District Council agreed to hold roundtable meetings to discuss the dispute.

It comes as a strike by binmen in Canterbury was called off yesterday after 67 days of action, following the city council’s refuse contractor Canenco making a 12% offer.

Speaking of the latest developments in Thanet GMB regional organiser Frank Macklin said: “The council has reached out to the GMB to request a meeting that will be facilitated by ACAS.

“The meeting will be on Monday September 11.

“This was meant to be the first day of strike action, but because the council has asked the union to meet with them, the GMB have agreed to suspend the strike action planned so we can attend the meeting, listen to what the council has to say and then hopefully be presented with an improved offer that we can put to our members on 12 September to see if they wish to accept or reject.”

It was announced that Thanet would be next in line for strikes on August 30, with GMB calling for talks to avoid the disruption.

When the threat of industrial action was initially announced, Colin Carmichael, chief executive of Thanet District Council said: “The request from the GMB for Thanet in short is unrealistic and would come at the expense of other important priorities, particularly if we want to maintain the current level of service to our residents as well as protect jobs for our staff.

“It’s disappointing that we’ve yet to reach an agreed pay offer and that the threat of strikes remains. We welcome realistic discussions with the union in the hope that we can achieve an outcome that works for all parties.”

Yesterday – after 67 days of action – refuse collectors in Canterbury ended their strike thanks to a “bumper pay offer”.

The deal will see the workers paid the ‘going rate’ of £12 and £15 an hour from 1 November.