by Helen Pattison, West London Socialist Party
An Ealing parking attendants’ strike rally on 30 June was lively and angry. The picket lines take place outside the council offices, in an effort to put pressure on the Labour council to intervene and stop the attacks. The outsourcing of the service has been a disaster. It was the council which agreed to Serco taking on the contract. Now it should stand up for the striking staff and take the service back in-house.
Photo: Helen Pattison
On top of the victimisation of a rep, workers are striking against attacks on the sickness absence policy and compassionate leave. Both are being attacked in the middle of a pandemic, despite the fact that Serco is making record profits, including from Covid-related contracts.
The strikers were visited by the local Labour MPs who spoke at the rally. Though it wasn’t lost on the strikers that this dispute has been running for a nearly a year, and the Labour council has still not clearly come out in support of the strikers or against Serco’s attacks.
Ealing traffic wardens on strike
30TH JUNE 2021
Standing with outsourced Ealing traffic wardens who are on strike. A unite rep is being victimised along with attacks on sickness policy (which is a pretty underhand attack in the middle of a pandemic!). The Labour council has failed these workers again and again — let’s hope they finally see sense and decide to stand with the workers not the Serco bosses.
Ealing parking wardens strike against Serco over absence policy
15TH MAY 2021
by Helen Pattison, West London Socialist Party
Once again, Ealing parking attendants are out on strike. This time for six days over two weeks. They are fighting outsourcing private company Serco, which has been targeting the union’s activists, and is refusing, even during the pandemic, to negotiate a decent absence management policy.
Socialist Party members have been down to support the strikers who were angry with Serco, but also the Labour-run council which has refused to come out in support of the workers.
There were three council by-elections taking place on one of the strike days, with Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidates standing in each election, supporting the strike.
We need a council that will stand in solidarity with their workers against bullying companies such as Serco, and bring staff back in-house.