Ealing (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Ealing traffic wardens will protest outside Labour councillor surgeries on 4-5 April 2025 over Greener Ealing Ltd’s refusal to recognize Unite union members.
The joint surgery of North Greenford ward councillors Amarjit Jammu, Shital Manro, and Muhammad Iqbal will be the site of a protest on Friday from 6 to 7 p.m., and the surgery of Northfield ward councillor and Ealing’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Paul Driscoll, will be the site of a protest on Saturday from 10 to 12:30 p.m.
Members of the local Labour Party in Ealing have also been affected by the conflict, urging the Labour-run council to acknowledge the Unite workers.
Workers have been striking and demonstrating outside Ealing Council offices as part of the most recent action, which began on March 12, 2025, and is scheduled to end on April 12, 2025.
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.”
Prior to the start of strike action in August 2024, the personnel were employed by Serco. However, on April 1, 2024, parking enforcement was transferred in-house to the council’s Greener Ealing.
The primary point of contention is that Unite, the union that represents the traffic wardens, is not recognized by Greener Ealing Ltd. Since August 2024, this has resulted in continuous industrial action, with strikes scheduled for March 12–April 12, 2025.
Managers are threatening disciplinary action if traffic wardens do not issue 10 or 11 citations per shift, according to traffic wardens, who say they are under pressure to meet illegal ticket targets.
Unite claims that Serco’s agreement with Unite to represent the workers has not been acknowledged by Greener Ealing.
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.
The Ealing Central and Acton Labour constituency party passed a vote earlier this year, in January 2025, regarding Greener Ealing and their preferred 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
Greener Ealing disputes Unite’s allegation that four traffic wardens had been fired since August 2024 for “trumped up charges while they were taking strike action.”
Because they frequently work alone at night and are subjected to abuse and assault, the wardens are looking for better working conditions, including increased safety precautions.
Additionally, they are requesting equitable treatment and assistance from Ealing Council, which they feel has not adequately addressed their complaints.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS previously, a Greener Ealing spokesperson said: “GEL has a single recognition agreement with GMB union which has served us well for the past 5 years. We have no wish to change this.”
They added: “We have not dismissed any staff for any reason connected with taking strike action. Any suggestion of “trumped up charges” is a total misrepresentation of the facts.”
The union also alleges that the traffic wardens have 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 is 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.”
What are the main demands of the traffic wardens in their dispute with Greener Ealing?
The main demand is that Unite be recognized as the union for the purposes of collective bargaining by Greener Ealing Ltd. Since Unite has been representing these workers for more than ten years—even before they were moved from Serco to Greener Ealing Ltd.—this has been a persistent problem.
The pressure to reach ticket targets is causing traffic wardens to protest, saying it puts them in danger and results in unjust enforcement. They contend that the Traffic Management Act forbids this practice and call for its cessation.
Four traffic wardens who were fired during the strike—what Unite refers to as “union busting”—are being sought back by the union.