Royal fans are being urged to plan ahead amid warnings strikes could stir up parking chaos on the day of the coronation.
A strike by traffic wardens in Westminster is to go ahead after a new pay offer was rejected. Members of the GMB union employed by the council’s contractor, NSL, will walk out on 2, 4 and 6 May, and plan to take other forms of industrial action for a week from 1 May.
The union said an improved pay offer had been overwhelmingly rejected by its members, and warned that the industrial action could lead to a “parking free-for-all” in the areas surrounding the procession, and cause problems on closed roads that are being kept clear by the council.
Its spokesperson said: “While the route of the coronation procession might not be affected, the streets of Westminster will have nobody at work to issue parking tickets or direct tow-trucks to problem vehicles.
“We will see a parking free-for-all on the streets of Westminster unless our members receive a pay rise from their rich employers.”
King Charles III’s coronation will take place next Saturday, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on London for the day’s events. The King’s procession route runs from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, and the city council is set to close dozens of roads.
A heavily reduced parking enforcement workforce on the day would enable drivers who park in prohibited areas to escape fines, while parking permits would remain unchecked, leading to the prospect of widespread violations.
GMB official Alex Etches said: “Our members have once again rejected another below-inflation pay offer from the company. There is no reason why our members, who do a difficult and dangerous job, should be poorer this year than the last.
“People in this country are fed up of private companies making millions off the public purse while the people that do the job that generates that money are asked to justify maintaining their standard of living.
“Our members’ strike action will lead to chaos on the roads of Westminster during the coronation. NSL must get serious about giving our members an offer that doesn’t leave them worse off this year, or they will be to blame for the disruption on the day of the coronation.”
