11 October 2002
Hundreds of traffic wardens belonging to the public service unions in seven boroughs began a week-long strike on October 7.
In a further ratcheting-up of the dispute, financial service workers in 13 boroughs are due to begin a week-long strike from October 14, after staff in the local taxation department in Merton walked out on October 10.
Unison, the GMB and the T&G are campaigning for the London weighting allowance to be increased to £4,000. Council staff in the capital currently receive between £1,407 and £2,674.
Union representatives claim the traffic warden strike will cost local authorities thousands of pounds in lost parking tickets. The seven boroughs affected by the strike are Croydon, Hammersmith, Haringey, Hounslow, Islington, Merton and Tower Hamlets.
Julia Coleman, Unison regional head of local government and trade union side secretary, said: 'The employers have been hitting London's local government workers in the pocket by not making any kind of offer on London weighting. Now it is time to hit them in the pocket.
'Thousands of low-paid workers have been feeling the pinch for far too long trying to survive in London. Let's see how the councils feel about a loss of income.'
Managers and non-union members formed a skeleton staff at the seven boroughs affected by the traffic wardens' walkout. The Association of London Government said it would be 'parking as usual', adding that illegal parkers could also be caught by CCTV cameras.
The association insists it cannot afford to increase London weighting, particularly so soon after local government workers received a rise of between 7.8% and 10.9% over two years.
PFoct2002
