COUNCIL chiefs have warned motorists they should pay to park when traffic wardens in Southampton strike for seven days next week.

As reported yesterday, unions leaders last night confirmed that 40 traffic wardens, maintenance engineers and cash collectors will walk out from Tuesday as they ramp up pressure on the council in an ongoing dispute over cuts to the pay and conditions of staff.

They said there will be no parking enforcement or parking meter repairs as a result of the industrial action.

But council leader Royston Smith said last night that drivers should continue to feed the city’s meters, which collected nearly £7m last year.

“We charge for parking. We expect people to pay for it,” he said, adding that the council was looking into ways to continue enforcement if legally possible.

Cllr Smith warned union leaders not to encourage free parking which he said would deepen the council’s financial crisis.

One union official said that while some residents may have been frustrated by this week’s five-day strike by bin collection men they would be “pretty happy” the traffic wardens would be on strike during school half-term week.

Disappointed Cllr Smith said: “I am again extremely disappointed that the unions have targeted a service area which could cause huge disruption to our residents. This is only punishing our residents who deserve better.”

Some 2,400 Unite and Unison members started taking part in indefinite industrial action short of strike on Monday, working to rule and refusing overtime.

A team of union officials were yesterday out in Cllr Smith’s Harefield ward handing out leaflets to residents explain why they are taking the action.

Around 4,300 council workers have been threatened with dismissal if they don’t sign up to new contracts on July 11 cutting their pay by up to 5.5 per cent.

Tory council leaders, who are axing around 250 staff including senior managers, say the pay cuts are needed to make budget savings and save 400 more job losses over the next two years.

The Daily Echo revealed yesterday that council chiefs are now prepared to meet unions through the mediation service ACAS to avoid further crippling strikes. Yet neither side have suggested any alternatives to the pay cuts.

‘Further strikes’ The council’s Unison branch secretary Mike Tucker said: “Parking operations will be followed by further sections of council workers striking unless there is a negotiated settlement. Until there is agreement, the industrial action will continue.”

Ian Woodland from Unite added: “It’s down to management to come up with a solution and talk about efficiencies rather than imposing sackings and pay cuts.”