Traffic wardens in Ealing are to protest outside Ealing Labour councillor surgeries on Friday (4 April 2025) and Saturday (5 April 2025) over what they say is Ealing Council-owned Greener Ealing Ltd (GEL) refusal to recognise civil enforcement officers belonging to the Unite trade union.
On Friday a protest will be held outside North Greenford ward councillors Amarjit Jammu, Shital Manro and Muhammed Iqbal’s joint surgery from 6pm to 7pm while on Saturday a protest will be held outside of Northfield ward councillor and Ealing’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action Paul Driscoll’s surgery from 10am to 12:30pm.
The dispute has also impacted the local Labour Party in Ealing with members calling on the Labour-run council to recognise the Unite workers.
The latest action, which started on 12 March 2025 and is set to last until 12 April 2025, has seen workers striking and protesting outside Ealing Council offices.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Greener Ealing and Ealing Council aren’t just union-busting — they’re putting workers in danger while ripping off residents. Forcing staff to hit unlawful ticket quotas fuels abuse and assaults, with rising ticket prices just making things worse. The council must reinstate the unfairly dismissed workers and recognise their union to guarantee proper protection and we call on councillors to take action to ensure this happens.”
The workers were formerly employed by Serco but from 1 April 2024 parking enforcement was brought in-house to the council’s Greener Ealing and first began industrial action in August 2024. According to Unite, Greener Ealing hasn’t recognised the agreement Serco had with Unite to represent the workers.
Unitev has previously said of the work its members do: “Their roles are completely different to the rest of Greener Ealing’s waste management workforce. As a distinct group, they want Unite, which has represented the workers for over a decade, recognised for collective bargaining on their behalf.
Earlier this year, in January 2025, a motion was passed by the Ealing Central and Acton Labour constituency party in relation to Greener Ealing and their choice of union of recognition.
In the motion, which has been seen by EALING.NEWS, it said:
“This CLP notes:
– Parking enforcement workers employed by Greener Ealing (GEL), a wholly owned trading
company of Ealing Council, have been on strike since 27 August 2024.
– A key demand is recognition for their chosen union, Unite.
– Unite has represented these workers for the last decade and had been recognised by
private contractors prior to the workers being brought into GEL in April 2024.
– GEL has refused to recognise Unite, insisting on only recognising GMB.
“This CLP believes:
– Workers have a right to choose their union. Failing to recognise workers’ chosen union is
against the principles of the labour movement and our party.
– This case undermines the ability of all workers to be legally represented by their chosen
union, fostering an environment where workers are more vulnerable to exploitation and
abuse.
“This CLP resolves to:
– Call on Greener Ealing and Ealing Council to recognise Unite and meet the strikers’
demands;
– Call on Ealing Council to commit to recognising workers’ chosen union as policy across the
council and its subsidiaries”
The union also alleges that the traffic wardens have been set targets for ticketing drivers.
Unite regional officer Lui D’Cunha said last month: “Not only are Greener Ealing and Ealing council guilty of union-busting, but they are also endangering workers while ripping off residents. Forcing staff to meet unlawful ticket targets fuels abuse and assaults. The council must reverse the disgraceful dismissals and recognise the workers’ union so they have proper protection.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS previously, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “It is not accurate to state Ealing Council are in dispute with parking wardens as parking services are managed by Greener Ealing Ltd (GEL). The council is committed to supporting the wellbeing of staff and ensuring a balanced approach to performance and service delivery by its contractors.”
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