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Parking wardens get a lot of stick – after all, no one particularly enjoys being welcomed back from a nice day out with a hefty fine slapped on their car windscreen. But imagine the roads without them: utter chaos. It’s a nightmarish thought that could become some sort of reality if parking wardens go ahead with a strike set to take place in central London.
According to the GMB (that’s Britain’s general trade union), Westminster parking wardens working for NSL parking are set to strike over low pay and working conditions. NSL is an independent company that looks after parking enforcement and street management for the public and private sectors.
The news comes after union members unanimously voted to reject NSL’s pay offer of an extra 21p an hour in a three-year deal. The offer might sound like an increase, but really it means that staff will lose money – because if they’re to maintain their income against inflation this year, they would need at least double that. At the moment, GMB members working for NSL only earn £10.75 per hour (the basic London Living Wage), and have had their allowances frozen for a decade.
In a statement for the GMB union on August 11, GMB officer Paul Grafton said:
‘Already this year we’re seeing inflation rates climb, and yet the pay offer put forward by NSL would in real terms see staff salaries cut. NSL have told us that Westminster Council have declined any wage uplift to that what has been offered.'
If the strike does go ahead, what could it mean? For Westminster City Council – which makes £73m in parking charges every year – it could mean the loss of tens of thousands of pounds in revenue per day. For everyone else: potential traffic pandemonium.
A spokesperson for Marston Holdings, which owns NSL, said: ‘Marston Holdings is currently in active negotiation with the GMB union and is committed to bringing these talks to a speedy and mutually satisfactory conclusion.’
The GMB has not yet confirmed how long the strike action could last, or when it will begin – so it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on things to see how the situation evolves.
Time Out contacted Westminster City Council for a comment. The council want to make clear that they are committed to ensuring all employees (including contracted staff) receive the London Living Wage as a minimum.
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