09/07/2015

Hackney Traffic Wardens Ballot For Strike Action

Traffic wardens in Hackney, east London are being balloted for strike action in a bid to get a proper sick pay policy provided by their private sector employer.

The 30 employees, members of Unite the union, have started balloting over whether they want to strike against APCOA Parking, which has the contract from Hackney council to run the service. The ballot closes on Friday 17 July.

The focus of the dispute is that the traffic wardens, known as civil enforcement officers, have worse pay, and terms and conditions than council staff – employees of the same authority that hands out the contracts to private companies.

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: "The main issue is that there is no company sick pay policy with APCOA Parking – our members only get statutory sick pay (SSP). They have also rejected a 1.5 per cent pay offer for this year.

"The point that our members are making is that in their role, sickness absence is not uncommon in light of the frequent incidents of abuse and assaults they suffer. Yet all they get is SSP – it is not good enough.

"In Hackney, the traffic wardens are on poorer pay and conditions than the staff in the local authorities that hand out the contracts to the private companies – this disreputable two-tier pay policy must cease."

(CD/JP)

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