NCP OWNED BY PRIVATE EQUITY 3i FACE 3 MORE DAYS OF STRIKE BY 70 GMB PARKING WARDENS IN ENFIELD AS 3i PLANS TO SELL NCP FOR £245M PROFIT AFTER JUST 18 MONTHS OWNERSHIP

GMB strikers in Enfield NCP for union recognition and end to harassment will fan out across Britain to seek solidarity support from fellow NCP workers in 31 council areas

70 GMB members, mainly African migrant workers will stage a further three days of strike later this month to step up the campaign to secure the right of GMB to negotiate their pay and conditions and end bullying and harassment by their employer NCP in Enfield. The three days of strike action will take place on Monday 12th, Saturday 17th and Wednesday 21st March. The strikers are angry at reports that 3i, the self proclaimed world leader in private equity, is in exclusive negotiations to sell NCP to Australia's Macquarie Bank, in a deal that would produce a profit of 45 per cent or £245m in just 18 months while their wages are lower than directly employed council parking staff and they are working longer hours.

During the three strike days the strikers will fan out to seek solidarity support from the workforces in the 31 local councils where private equity owned NCP run the car park and parking warden service for the local council. The 31 councils include Milton Keynes, Bolton, Islington, Brighton and Hove, Westminster, Worthing, Croydon, High Wycombe, Oldham, Manchester, Preston, Richmond upon Thames, Edinburgh, St Albans, Camden, Bury, Enfield, Wirral, Kingston, Kensington and Chelsea, Torbay, Sunderland, District councils in Lancashire with the Park wise scheme Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire and All Northern Ireland.

Two of the strike leaders have been charged by NCP with gross industrial misconduct for matters relating to the strike and the outcome of the disciplinary hearing is not likely to be known until early next week. One is accused of wearing his NCP uniform on the picket line and the other is accused of disagreeing with his manager on the rights of the strikers.

GMB parking warden members from all over London are planning a demonstration outside the British Parking Award ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel, London on Friday 9^th March 2007 from 11 a.m..

A GMB member who works for 3i on the NCP parking contract in Enfield said "We should be treated well, but when we get injured in the street we're not catered for. If we're not back to work straight away they threaten dismissal. These things haven't just happened to me, but to all of us. The bosses have no respect for us."

"Our bonus is paid quarterly, based on a ticket count. At 10am every morning and 4pm every afternoon they phone up to check ticket counts. There is immense pressure if the bosses don't think there are enough tickets issued. They think if we don't get the right number according to the performance indictors then there's something wrong, they just want the tickets issued regardless."

Ed Blissett GMB London Region secretary said, "3i and NCP will not face up to the fact that the majority of the parking wardens are GMB members and that they want the union to negotiate for them. They have already been on strike for five days and now they will strike for a further three days to demonstrate their determination to be represented by their union.

During the strike days the strikers will fan out across Britain to explain to their fellow NCP workers the obscenity of the multi-millionaire private equity elite at 3i, ready to rake off £245m from NCP as their mainly migrant workforce in Enfield are forced to lose pay by going on strike to get their union the right to negotiate their pay and conditions and to end bullying and harassment of their managers. They will invite their fellow workers to join GMB to get a better deal for all parking wardens."

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Contact: Rob Kelsall, GMB Organiser on 07725 791833 or Steve Forrest, GMB Organiser on 07725 791833 or GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.

Notes to Editors: NCP operates more than 900 car parks, including 52,000 spaces at ten of Britain's busiest airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. It also runs the contract for issuing penalty notices for London's congestion charge. NCP manages 230,000 parking spaces and handles more than 60 million customer transactions a year.

3i, acquired NCP for £555 million as part of a management buyout from Cinven in July 2005. Since then, 3i has appointed a new director to run the "on-street" business, which provides parking wardens, vehicle clamping and removal services to 31 local authorities. This included the contract at London borough of Enfield.

Venture capitalists Cinven bought NCP for £820 million in May 2002 from Cendant, the American company, which had originally bought the business in 1998 for £805 million. Cinven released much of its capital via a sale and leaseback of more than 100 car parks, in a deal that raised £600 million.