‘Of course, when the traffic wardens are on strike, Camden Council lose the ticket revenue’

Every day, you can find Camden’s traffic wardens picketing their workplaces and protesting with cries of “Low pay? No way!” and ‘NSL – No slave labour’.

They provide parking services for Camden Council but are employed by private company NSL.

The wardens are now in their fourth week of indefinite strike action in their campaign for decent pay.

Currently the pay is £12.70 an hour, and our claim is to increase it to £15.90 an hour.

Camden UNISON submitted the claim on behalf of our members back in December 2022, so NSL have had plenty of time to have serious negotiations and avoid this strike.

We believe our claim is a fair and reasonable one. This is why our members are out on indefinite strike.

The wardens work 42.5 hours a week, outdoors in all weather. The workforce is mainly black, and a lot of the abuse they receive for carrying out parking enforcement is racist.

They were classified as key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, helping to keep spaces clear for National Health Service workers to be able to come to work and look after us all.

NSL, and their parent company Marston Holdings, however say that we are being unrealistic with our claim.

Rather than talking about how much an hour they pay, they keep saying we’re after a 25 per cent pay rise, presumably to avoid questions about why the pay is so low and the hours so long.

And let’s remember, private companies only get involved in delivering public services to make a profit.

In the August 10 CNJ Marston Holdings said that they had made an offer of 18.1 per cent over three years, (Camden’s parking wardens step up strike action).

But the reality is that it’s only 7.5 per cent this year, a pay cut in real terms, and will only get our members to £15 an hour by 2025.

The current cost of living crisis means that everything is going up – fuel, food, rents – apart from wages, so our members cannot afford a pay cut.

But if NSL and Marston Holdings would rather talk about percentages, let’s look at some.

NSL released their accounts for 2022 after the strike started. Company profits went up from £5.8million in 2021 to £9.2million in 2022.

And figures are given for the highest paid company director. Their salary was £258,000 in 2021 but went up to £412,000 in 2022. That’s a pay rise of 60 per cent, and works out at an hourly rate of £221.

How dare these bosses say that our members shouldn’t get £15.90 an hour. And a 60 per cent pay rise for the top boss makes our claim look very modest.

Clearly the money is there, our members shouldn’t have to strike.

And while we are on the topic of striking, Marston Holdings also said last week that, “we understand that striking staff are being financially supported by the branch to continue the action, so there is little incentive for them to return to work”.

This is really dishonest. Yes our members are getting strike pay but it’s significantly below their daily earnings.

Every day they are out on strike they lose money so they have every incentive to return to work. But they are determined to win fair pay for that work.

Camden Council also have a role to play in this. They privatised the service and they pay the private company, including for wages, even during a strike.

And, of course, when the traffic wardens are on strike, Camden Council lose the ticket revenue.

It seems everyone loses something apart from NSL.

Camden Council should do the right thing and insist NSL pay proper wages to the wardens.

Our members had a 73 per cent turnout and a 100 per cent vote for strike action in their ballot.

They have received messages of solidarity from up and down the country, from the UNISON general secretary and president, from other trade unions, and from politicians.

With that solidarity, they are confident that they can win fair pay.

• Liz Wheatley is branch secretary of Camden UNISON.