EALING Council Parking Services workers are striking again today and tomorrow demanding that Ealing Council sacks the Serco public services privateer and takes their jobs back in-house.
Speaking on the picket line yesterday morning, strike leader and Unite rep Patrick Samaro told News Line: ‘Today is our 7th day of strike action and we have another five days coming up – tomorrow and Thursday and then next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
‘We are striking against Serco targeting union reps and activists in order to undermine collective bargaining over the sickness policy, which is being abused by management.
‘They are using the sickness policy to dismiss our members.
‘This is designed to undermine our collective bargaining power.
‘There are 47 of us, completely determined to continue the strike until they agree to sit down and negotiate a new sickness policy.
‘At the same time, we are continuing to call on the council to bring the contract back in-house and to make our terms and conditions better.
‘We are planning to invite the new Labour leader of Ealing Council to come and visit us on the picket line to discuss the situation with us and to directly intervene in the dispute.’
Retired nurse Julie Barrow stopped to support the picket line and gave thumbs up to the strikers, saying: ‘Bring it back in-house’.
She told News Line: ‘I’m an Ealing resident and I live just next door to the council offices.
‘We’re all aware that these council workers want to be directly employed and we completely support them in that demand.
‘Serco make their profits by increasing exploitation levels and it’s got to stop.’
Striker and Unite member Raj Gopi told News Line: ‘We’re very strong and united.
‘Serco are trying to do away with the union and whoever is employed right now.
‘They want to bring in new people who they can dictate the terms to and hire and fire at will.’
- Bexley residents have been warned of a ‘summer stink’ as Serco refuse workers prepare to vote in a strike ballot in a dispute over pay and poor treatment, the union Unite said yesterday.
140 Unite members will take part in the vote, which has been called over a ‘pathetic’ 1.5 per cent pay offer, the removal of industrial sickness benefits and Serco’s refusal to handover years of back pay owed to nearly 50 staff.
