Council’s outsourced enforcement officials are paid less than the London Living Wage by their German-based employers. ‘Bromley Council cannot keep hiding behind outsourcing arrangements’ says GMB union
Traffic wardens in Bromley have agreed to take further strikes in the New Year, from Tuesday January 6 to Friday January 9, as their pay dispute drags on into a third month.
Poverty pay: industrial action by Bromley’s traffic wardens looks like stretching into a third month
The enforcement officials, who are employed by German-based council contractors APCOA, have been on a work-to-rule since November, and have already taken six days of strike action over what they call “poverty pay”.
Despite meeting in November with APCOA management at ACAS, the advisory, conciliation and arbitration service, the workers’ union, the GMB, has yet to receive any feedback from the talks.
Traffic wardens in Bromley are paid £12.21 an hour. APCOA want to pay their employees in Bromley just £13 per hour. APCOA staff doing similar work in Lambeth and Wandsworth are paid £15 per hour. The London Living Wage is set at £13.85 per hour.
Last Friday, the workers marched to Bromley Civic Centre. “At the moment, every month I’m falling further and further behind on bills, while the council and APCOA profit from our hard work,” one of the striking traffic wardens said.
“We don’t receive commission like people think we do, but we generate a huge amount of revenue for the council.
“Our primary job is to keep traffic moving. We don’t want to be blocking roads or annoying people, but we’ve had enough.
“I just want to be able to come to work, do my job and support my family.”
The GMB has criticised Conservative-controlled Bromley Council for not taking a lead in the discussions with their contractor and their staff.
“Bromley Council cannot keep hiding behind outsourcing arrangements,” said Craig Prickett, GMB’s regional organiser.
“These workers are enforcing the council’s parking policies, generating significant revenue on their behalf, yet they are being paid poverty wages.
“Between APCOA and Bromley Council, this dispute could be resolved at any time. They know exactly what it would take to settle.
“There is also a serious question about cost – how much revenue has Bromley Council already lost as a result of ongoing strike action? And how much public money is being spent covering the work of striking staff, including temporary workers, hotel accommodation and travel costs?
“That money would be far better spent ensuring the people doing this job are paid fairly.”
Read more: Bromley’s traffic wardens reject 50p pay offer with 97% vote
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