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MU Expresses Solidarity with Night-Time Workers in Face of ULEZ Extension

MU London Regional Organiser Jamie Pullman discusses the issues that the extended ULEZ scheme presents to Night-Time workers in London, and how the MU has argued and is continuing to argue for a fairer system.

Photo ofJamie Pullman
By Jamie Pullman Published: 24 March 2023 | 1:12 PM Updated: 27 March 2023 | 10:44 AM
A well lit but very empty street in London at night time.
Night-time workers shouldn’t be penalised due to the hours they work. Photo credit: Shutterstock

When the ULEZ extension was first proposed, the MU and other unions had a meeting with the TfL representative in which we argued that this would be unfair on people whose work crosses over midnight. We made this clear in the public consultation as well as in further meetings with TfL and in emails to the Mayor’s office.

We have consistently made these points at every opportunity, and we have an ally in Amy Lamé, the Night Czar who has raised this issue on our behalf.

Night-time workers shouldn’t be penalised due to the hours they work, and we will continue to argue for a system that works fairly for not only our members, but all those who contribute to the night-time economy.

We have further argued that the vehicle scrappage scheme should be extended to Sole Traders whose main vehicle is not a van, but a car, as this is how most of our members transport their instruments.

We have also recently been in discussion with the Culture and Creative Industries Unit within the GLA to raise our concerns and objections to the scheme as it currently operates, and they are feeding our submission on to the relevant departments

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