Chippenham haulage company Wincanton hopes the tanker drivers’ dispute will be at an end once Unite members have seen the latest proposals.

The prospect of a strike by tanker drivers caused panic before Easter, with many filling stations in Wiltshire running dry in the lead-up to Easter.

Unite has now been given until May 21 to decide whether to accept the latest deal, removing the immediate threat of industrial action, after the latest 12 hours of talks between the officials and distribution company representatives.

Last week both sides conceded that progress has been made on issues including pensions, health and safety and training.

A spokesman from Wincanton said yesterday: “Following a further two days of detailed discussions, a proposal has been jointly produced by Unite and the employers, including Win-canton, which we hope will put an end to this dispute.

“Positive progress was made during the talks and we are confident the document addresses the points raised by Unite, but we are unable to disclose details at this stage.

“Along with the other employers, Wincanton welcomes Unite’s decision to take the proposal to the entire balloted driver population following the Oil Trades Conference later this week and we have extended the validity of the ballot mandate to enable this process.

“Our drivers will now be able to give due consideration to the proposals and determine whether the outcome is a good one for the industry.

“We remain committed to finding a resolution to this dispute and to averting the disruption that strike action would cause.”

Earlier the spokesman from Wincanton said the company was “extremely disappointed” that Unite had failed to persuade its membership to accept the company’s proposals.

The spokesman said then: “Unite’s concerns over the erosion of standards, security of employment and the newly raised issue of sub-contracting should be directed to the non-regulated players in the industry rather than the employers that Unite already concurs have the best terms and conditions for their drivers, and exemplary health, safety and training standards.

“Wincanton’s drivers have an average income of around £45,000 per annum.

“We would urge Unite and its members not to take damaging strike action, which would destabilise the industry and cause unnecessary disruption at a time when the UK is gearing up for the important events of the summer.

“In the meantime, in collaboration with the Government, the MOD and our customers, we will continue with our contingency planning in order to minimise any potential disruption that a strike may cause.”

A Unite spokesperson said yesterday: “We won’t issue a statement while talks are ongoing.”