Ealing traffic enforcement officers take their picket to the Town Hall

Traffic enforcement services in Ealing, a Labour run borough in west London, were privatised in April 2010 under the previous Tory administration. The company who now run traffic enforcement services are NSL Services.

Almost from the moment the service was privatised the situation for traffic enforcement officers and motorists worsened. NSL immediately set about ruthlessly raising unachievable ticketing targets. Management relentlessly bullied officers who were unable to meet their targets. The knock on effect of this for motorists is that all possible lee way with traffic enforcement officers vanished as the decision over whether or not to ticket motorists was essentially removed from them.

Management also set about attacking health and safety standards, pensions and pay in order to boost the company’s profits. Naturally the workers union, Unite, resisted these attacks particularly the local reps like Parveen Bhadwaj.

The company alleges that Parveen Bhadwa falsified his ticket notebook. Bhadwa denies this. The physical notebook, which was in the hands of NSL has disappeared. The only evidence that remains is the two photocopied pages that used to dismiss him.

It is hard to escape the suspicion that Parveen Bhadwa is in fact being victimised in order to weaken the union. Speaking to workers on the picket line it was revealed that 15 other workers have been sacked, all of them members of Unite.

The workers who have been sacked, like all former council workers are on £9.20 an hour. NSL is now replacing them with agency workers on £7 an hour.

One of the bitterest complaints of striking workers was the attacks on holidays. When they were employed by the council they received 25 days holidays. Many of the workers are of Asian or African origin and need the time off to visit their families in their home countries. Under the new regime of NSL time off is extremely difficult to secure.

Speaking to the NSSN on the picket line Parveen Bhadwa explained how the hostile reception from the public and the bullying management regime effected the workers: “We are treated like animals, we are not human beings to them”

Despite the difficulties they have faced the mood of workers on the picket lines was defiant. Their calls for justice for Parveen could be heard up and down the high street alongside the deafening wails of Vuvuzelas. They have vowed to take further extended strike action if Parveen Bhadwa is not reinstated to his job.
Many workers were also extremely frustrated with the ruling Labour council which had opposed privatisation while in opposition but now that they are in power have not been helpful in bringing pressure to bear on NSL.

Supporters of the NSSN can send messages of supprt to the strikers through their officer [email protected].

Readers can send messages of protest over the treatment of Parveen to the Head of HR at HSL Janet Daley J[email protected]

You can email the leader of Ealing Council who awarded the contract to NSL and urge him to put pressure on the company [email protected]