GMB Union admits Traffic Wardens get bonuses for tickets

Last week's headlines "Soldiers risk life yet earn less than a traffic warden" drew lots of comment and argument with very little sympathy for 'Traffic Wardens' or rather the Civil Enforcement Officers as they are called in most local authority areas.

Traffic Wardens employed to enforce parking restrictions under 'criminalised' regimes differ in terms and conditions from those employed by council's contracted enforcement agents operating in 'decriminalised' enforcement areas.

This enforcement allows councils to keep the revenue generated and although always denied, the contracts with the private 'for profit' enforcement companies who employ the Attendants are target driven.

However, they have always denied that the Parking Attendants, now called Civil Enforcement Officers, were paid bonuses but since the 'Soldiers v Wardens' row over pay GMB National Officer Paul Maloney has unwittingly revealed that 'Traffic Wardens' receive bonuses for the number of tickets they issue.

In an e-mail Paul Maloney, GMB national officer who represents traffic wardens said,
"GMB support decent pay and conditions for our armed forces. However if the general is to make the case for better pay he should compare apples with apples.
Many GMB members who are traffic wardens are paid the national minimum wage of about "£11,000 per year. They receive bonuses for the number of tickets they give out and their average pay includes long hours of overtime.
"There is no national agreement for traffic wardens. Many of them are out sourced and work for private equity owned companies from the information that GMB has to hand, we believe that soldiers are paid more than many of the traffic wardens that we represent."

So there you have it from the horse's mouth.
You knew the real reason for the massive increase in parking tickets. You now know why they are issued for the most trivial of reasons. You now know that the chanted mantra about civil parking enforcement being necessary to stop the streets being clogged and to keep traffic moving is baloney.
This is about raising money for private companies who pay their staff peanuts in order to ensure that they are incentivised to issue enough tickets to survive and look after themselves and their families.

After the exposure of the fines issued by councils for illegal restrictions another death knell sounds for this offensive, exploitative stealth taxing that passes off for parking enforcement it is now time that Government started sitting down to consider what is going to replace it ... otherwise any grains of respect left for the system will disappear and it will reach the point where no-one will pay any fines levied.

MORE

Private equity owned NCP fixes daily targets for parking fines and bullies and harasses staff to penalise London motorists to meet targets: GMB strike in Enfield NCP for union recognition and end to harassment

"Our bonus is paid quarterly, based on a ticket count. At 10am every morning and 4pm every afternoon they phone up to check ticket counts. There is immense pressure if the bosses don't think there are enough tickets issued. They think if we don't get the right number according to the performance indictors then there's something wrong, they just want the tickets issued regardless." GMB member on strike who works for 3i on the NCP parking contract in Enfield

Thursday, 21 June 2007 PRIVATE EQUITY THREATENS PENSION FUNDS – GMB give evidence to MPs

‘NCP services, which is owned by 3i, is proposing to slash the bonus scheme of its low paid workforce in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
‘Parking attendants who only earn £6.29 per hour currently receive a bonus of £100.00 per month.‘
Without consultation or regard to TUPE regulations, the management at NCP have given notice that they are going to introduce a discretionary bonus.
‘Staff can earn a maximum of £250.00 per quarter but this is linked to performance, including the number of tickets issued!‘
Experience from the NCP Enfield contract shows that staff and motorists will be the losers, as parking attendants will put under severe pressure to issue more tickets to London’s motorists in order to make up their pay.’

Is the solution to send Civil Enforcement Officers to search out the Taliban with the same level of efficiency as they can demonstrate when looking for a motorist committing a contravention?
I am sure that no-one would disagree with paying them double bonus for that!