raffic wardens in Westminster plan to strike on the day of the King’s coronation in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The GMB union said its members, employed by the council’s contractor NSL, will be taking action short of a strike from May 1 to 8 and strike action on May 2, 4 and 6.
Saturday May 6 is the day of King Charles III’s coronation procession and ceremony.
GMB organiser Alex Etches said: “This is a great example of a simple truth in the world that is rarely acknowledged: that behind each great historical event are hundreds of ordinary workers working behind the scenes.
“Working people like our members might seem to do unimportant jobs, but they are the engines of history.
“This dispute is simply about working people being paid a decent wage for the physically demanding and very important job that they do.
“If NSL fail to make a sensible offer in time, we’ll see just what an important job our members do as the King makes his way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Cathedral on Saturday May 6.”
The union claimed workers are in a dispute over the employer’s failure to agree a cost of living pay award after a “wide-ranging restructure”.
Westminster Council has been approached for comment.
Preparations are well underway for the King’s coronation procession and ceremony.
The first rehearsal took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning as military paraded through the quiet streets of central London.
During the procession the King and Queen Consort will first travel from Buckingham Palace to the Mall, through Admiralty Arch, before passing to the south of the King Charles Island statue in Trafalgar Square.
They’ll turn onto Whitehall, where the procession will continue along the east and south sides of Parliament Square, before arriving at Westminster Abbey, where the service will begin at 11am.
The procession is sure to attract crowds and viewing space will likely be in high demand.
The viewing areas along the procession route will open from 6am on May 6, but people have been asked to avoid turning up before 6am. Once the viewing areas reach capacity, they will be closed.
Alternatively, the Coronation will be broadcast live on screens at Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James’s Park.
