Hounslow Parking Attendants to Strike Over Christmas
Staff in dispute over what the say is an inadequate pay offer
The employees' union says parking enforcement will be severely disrupted during the strike
December 2, 2024
Staff working for NSL as part of its management of parking services in the borough of Hounslow are to hold strike action in December and January.
Unite the Union has said that both parking attendants and CCTV operators will be taking part in a dispute over what it describes as an inadequate pay offer for this year.
The workers will strike from 5 December to 27 January and this may result in limited or no parking enforcement in the borough’s town centres during the Christmas shopping period.
The parking attendants work out of bases by the Town Hall in Chiswick and from Bridge Road in Hounslow. NSL is owned by Marston Holdings.
It is almost a year to the day since Hounslow Council announced the signing of the contract with NSL to take over parking services. It was forced to do so when SERCO announced that it wished to withdraw prematurely from its existing five-year contract with the borough as part of a broader strategy of pulling out of parking services.
NSL took over all parking activities including enforcement, payment for parking, issuing of permits and Blue Badges. The annual value of the Hounslow contract was £3.6 million and has previously brought in an income surplus of over £1 million.
The agreement with NSL runs until December 2025 after which the council says it will ‘consider all available options and providers’.
Strikes in boroughs where NSL manages parking services have occurred previously in in Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster and Camden. NSL staff in Westminster called strike action on the day of the King’s Coronation.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Marston Holdings and NSL can well afford to give our members a fair pay rise and that is what needs to happen. They have Unite’s total backing during these strikes.”
Unite regional officer Lui D’Cunha said, “The responsibility for the disruption to traffic enforcement and CCTV monitoring lies squarely at the door of NSL. There is still time to avoid strike action but that will require an offer being put forward that our members can accept.”
A spokesperson for Marston Holdings said, “We acknowledge the decision by the union to proceed with industrial action. As a responsible employer, we remain committed to open and constructive dialogue to reach a resolution that is fair and sustainable for all parties to prevent industrial action.
“Significant efforts have already been made to come to an agreement. We recognise the valuable contributions of our staff and will continue working with the union to resolve this pay dispute. We continue to prioritise the delivery of services to our community and remain hopeful agreement can be reached and avoid an unnecessary strike.”
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