East Suffolk bin collection strike suspended

East Suffolk Council said it was hopeful the pay offer would be accepted

A strike by household bin collectors in east Suffolk has been suspended.

Unison members had previously voted for industrial action after rejecting a pay offer.

But East Suffolk Council said after a further round of negotiations a new pay offer would now be put to staff.

"We are hopeful that this offer will be accepted," the authority said.

Unison said there had been "a significant movement" by the council.

Refuse crews were working to rule on Wednesday, which would have continued until Friday.

They were also set to go on strike for a week from 21 November.

Although bin collections would now return to normal, the authority warned there might still be disruption.

The council said it was "always determined to agree a solution that works for all parties".

The results of the ballot at the waste management company will be counted by 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Jonathan Dunning, from Unison, said the strike was called because members wanted "a similar rate of pay to Norse workers in the south east and improved sick pay".

He said the offer "addresses both" issues and includes an extra day of leave from next year.

"In my view, this is a significant movement on the part of Norse and East Suffolk Council, and we are grateful for that," Mr Dunning said.