Statement on Civil Enforcement Officers industrial action

1 August 2025

We are aware of the ongoing industrial action being taken by Civil Enforcement Officers working for our parking contractor APCOA.  We are aware that there have been similar disputes in several other London Boroughs.

We understand that the dispute covers, among other matters, basic salary. Kingston Council is proud of being an early adopter of the London Living Wage and that this commitment now extends beyond directly employed staff to those employed by private firms delivering services on the Council’s behalf. This commitment already includes APCOA’s staff. The London Living Wage is independently calculated, is reviewed every year and rose by 5.3% this year to reflect the higher costs of living and working in London.

As the Council is not the direct employer of the Civil Enforcement Officers it has no formal role in the industrial action or any discussions which seek to resolve the dispute. We have consistently encouraged APCOA, their officers and their representatives to work collaboratively to resolve the dispute and ensure a return to normal service delivery in support of our residents.

We note the concerns raised in respect of APCOAs use of agency workers to cover for striking workers on strike days. The Council’s contract with APCOA requires that they abide by all relevant employment laws. We have sought and received assurances from APCOA that no agency workers are being used to backfill for striking workers. We are content that any agency workers employed by APCOA have only been used to cover pre-existing vacancies and this is supported by the staff deployment data for strike days.

We are aware of comments made in respect of the potential for strike action by school transport workers employed by Achieving for Children (AfC) and waste operatives working for Veolia. The Council is aware that some AfC staff who support transport for children with special educational needs are considering industrial action but there is no agreement to strike at this time.  AfC continues to work collaboratively with the relevant parties to secure an agreed way forward.  We are not aware of any significant disputes between Veolia and their workers and there is no suggestion of any industrial action being taken or planned.    

Both organisations are London Living Wage employers and have recently confirmed new pay awards with their staff, including frontline workers.