Pay battle may stop park galas
London's popular series of royal park summer festivals is in the balance today, with park staff expected to vote for industrial action over a 10-month-old pay dispute.
The Royal Parks Agency and Constabulary staff, who helped make the Jubilee celebrations a success, are considering working to rule after repeated failed attempts to secure their annual pay offer due last September. This year's pay rises are also in doubt.
More than 150 workers, tasked with looking after Hyde, St James's, Green, Greenwich and Richmond parks and Kensington Court, will today be given industrial action ballots.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said today it believed its members would support action, including a ban on voluntary overtime and rest-day work, and instead would employ a strict work-to-rule regime. The ballot closes next Friday and action would begin before the end of June.
PCS negotiations officer Neil March said he regretted staff in London's royal parks had been forced to consider working to rule. "They played a vital role in the Jubilee celebrations enjoyed by so many people and they were looking forward to providing a season of summer events such as Party in the Park, the Diaspora Music Village, Proms in the Park and the Flora Women's Challenge,'' he said.
"The delay and inaction of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Royal Parks management is putting these events in jeopardy by depriving a committed team of their usual yearly pay increase."
A PCS spokesman said it was unclear how much money was involved in the dispute since all attempts to negotiate the amount to be offered, in line with cost of living, had failed. He said the department had cancelled some pay meetings.
A Department of Culture, Media and Sport spokesman dismissed the issue and said as far as the department was concerned there was no dispute and the 10-month delay was not unreasonable.
"The pay remit is with the Treasury which is considering it," he said. He declined to comment on the issue affecting the city's season of summer festivals.
A Parks Agency spokesman said no events were in jeopardy "at the moment" as there was no dispute.
