GEORGE TOWN: An angry mob of parking attendants who face the loss of jobs gathered at the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) building yesterday morning to draw attention to their plight.

Appealing to the authorities to save their jobs, which will become redundant with the introduction of a couponed parking system next month, the protesters held up a banner and shouted slogans calling for respect for their profession.

Hassan Abdul Majid, 54, who led about 30 protesters, said there should have been consultations between MPPP and the attendants before introducing a coupon system on the island.

Hassan, who has been a parking attendant for 35 years in various parts of the island, urged MPPP and the state government to consider their plight because they do not have any other work experience to land alternative jobs.

The group arrived at 11am, about half an hour after state local government, traffic management and flood mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow finished launching the new parking system at MPPP’s Town Hall at the Esplanade.

The Penang-based company Perkhidmatan Alam Indah Sdn Bhd that will manage the coupon system submitted its proposal in 2010 and beat contenders from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Melaka with its submission on the request for proposal put up by MPPP.

According to Hassan, there are about 300 parking attendants on the island.

Thanyabani Selvarajoo, 37,  said as an agent with four workers, he earned about RM3,000 which goes to the payment of salaries.

“I operate about 70 parking bays with four workers in Bukit Jambul. I have been a parking attendant for 13 years. The company can help by letting us sell the coupons so we can earn a commission,” he said.

“MPPP gave the parking zone operators about a year to negotiate the contract with Alam Indah on the sale of coupons. Their workers can be absorbed back into the operations to be coupon sellers,” Chow said.

Alam Indah MD Abdul Malik Kadir said the company was given the task of coming up with the best parking practices after MPPP realised its system was about 30 years behind other jurisdictions.

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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 10, 2013.