Enforcers' strikes 'will not mean a parking free-for-all'

MOTORISTS have been told not to expect a parking free-for-all during two one-day strikes planned by the Capital's parking attendants.

Around 80 per cent of the city's 120 enforcers will walk out on Wednesday and again on 2 July after voting 94 per cent in favour of industrial action over pay.

But parking bosses warned that there would be no relaxation of restrictions as replacements would be brought in to help maintain the service.

The Unite union said the strike action was being taken in response to employer NSL freezing pay at £7.09 an hour – an annual wage of around £14,500.

Union insiders said Edinburgh's enforcers were also increasingly unhappy about a number of additional duties, such as a new partnership with the police which many of them only found out about following a story in yesterday's Evening News.

The union claimed NSL believed its parking attendants were overpaid at their current rate, something the company described as an "outright lie".

Rob Stewart, Unite's regional industrial officer, said: "Unite is furious that NSL is attempting to freeze the pay of their hard-working staff. Like everyone else, these parking attendants are feeling the squeeze of the current economic recession, the cost of living in Edinburgh continues to be one of the highest in the UK.

"In the past, NSL have promoted the fact that the effectiveness of their strategies are down to the performance of their people. They can't expect a performance to be sustained when they are effectively seeking to pay poverty pay."

Tim Cowen, a spokesman for NSL, said he was "astounded" by the union's claim that the company thought its staff were overpaid.

He said: "That's ridiculous. Any suggestion that we think our staff are overpaid is an outright lie. We think our staff receive a fair rate of pay and we are surprised about the action the union is taking in what is a difficult economy.

"We expect the majority of staff will turn up as normal. It will be business as usual and the public should continue to take care over where they park."

He said striking workers would be replaced by office staff who would not normally be out on patrol.

Dozens of parking attendants were brought in from England during the last parking attendants' strike in 2007.

Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, the city's transport convener, said: "We have been working closely with NSL to draw up contingency plans for parking enforcement during the strike. They have confirmed with us that restrictions will be enforced as normal and we would ask that drivers take the usual care when parking."


Your Say: Should Edinburgh's parking enforcers be paid more?

Ian Duff, 64, retired university lecturer, North Berwick: "I think they do a necessary job, and I hope they're not getting specifically penalised because they are seen as unpopular."

Paul Thompson, 29, professional fundraiser, St Stephen Street: "Yes, it's a pretty thankless task."

Jennifer Hutton, 51, personnel manager, Dundas Street: "I think it's fair their pay should go up in line with the cost of living."