Traffic warden quotas exposed

A traffic warden who refused to comply with a 10-a-day parking ticket quota has today won his unfair dismissal case at an employment tribunal in London.

Judge Jeremy Burns ruled that Hakim Berkani, 45, had been unfairly dismissed from his job in Kensington and Chelsea after opposing a secret quota put in place by employer and parking enforcement firm NSL, which forced wardens to issue at least 10 tickets a day.

He claimed he was harassed and eventually dismissed by NSL because he preferred to warn motorists when they were parked illegally, rather than automatically issuing a ticket.

Berkani told Auto Express that he was “very happy” with the verdict, which he said was “in the best interests of the public”. He explained that he had supplied internal E-mails to the tribunal that revealed wardens had to issue an "absolute minimum" of 10 tickets daily – a practice which NSL still denies.

The warden, a father of two from Wandsworth, south London, who was sacked for gross misconduct, told us: “The firm’s denial is amazing. I am astonished that they would still deny this, when the evidence is there in black and white for everyone to see – including the judge at the tribunal.”

He added that his fellow wardens were reluctant to come forward. “They are scared. They don’t want to lose their jobs,” he said.

Damages are to be decided at a separate hearing on 27 February but, in the meantime, Berkani says he wants his job back.