Ealing Borough Parking Attendants Set to Strike
Dispute at Greener Ealing over union recognition agreement
A parking attendant in Ealing. Picture: Greener Ealing
August 16, 2024
Unite the Union has announced that forty parking attendants working in the borough of Ealing are planning to take strike action.
The dispute is over union recognition at Greener Ealing Ltd, the council owned company which took over parking enforcement in the borough this April from Serco. The firm manages waste collection in the borough but had never previously been involved in parking enforcement.
Staff who were previously working for Serco were transferred over to Greener Ealing but Unite says that the company refused to transfer the recognition agreement Serco had with Unite to represent the workers, whose roles are completely different to the rest of company’s waste management workforce.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Greener Ealing’s treatment of these workers is atrocious and will not be tolerated. The company is preventing these workers, who are a distinct working group, from bargaining collectively over pay and other issues.
“Our members’ have Unite’s absolute support as they strike for union recognition.”
Strike action is scheduled to take place from 27 August to 18 September and is likely to mean there will be no enforcement of parking restrictions in Controlled Parking Zones and on-street and off street parking bays.
The union says that the action will be escalated if the dispute is not resolved quickly with Unite regional officer Lui D’Cunha adding, “Greener Ealing and the council will be entirely responsible for the parking chaos the public will face.
“There is still time to avoid strike action, but that requires councillors to intervene and force Greener Ealing’s management to sign a recognition agreement.”
A council spokesperson said, “We are aware that since parking services were transferred into a council owned company that Unite and Greener Ealing have been in negotiation over a recognition agreement. We welcome trade union representation of our workforce and hope an equitable agreement will be reached between the union and Greener Ealing.
"Since being transferred back under council control, Ealing has seen a significant increase in the performance of parking services, focused on delivering value for money for Ealing residents, reducing congestion and air pollution, making the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists.”
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