FIVE car park workers in Redditch are set to lose their jobs after being told they will be replaced with a phone system.
Heart of Worcestershire College (HoW), based on Peakman Street, currently operates three manned car parks around the site.
But from Monday, September 2, the long-serving staff, who collect money from drivers and also act as car park security, will be out of work.
Their fate, and particularly that of the familiar face of the senior citizen who mans the wooden hut has struck such a chord that an impromptu campaign has started to save ‘the man in the hut’.
The man in question, who did not wish to be named, said: “I shall miss it. I’m 83-years-old and it gets me out of the house and I get on well with my customers.
“I’ve been here longer than I can remember; I only live over the way and started just filling in for the odd ten minutes or so and it just went from there.
“I suppose what’s happening is modern technology and the young ones will manage but it’s the older ones I feel sorry for.”
His hut, and those of his colleagues, will close for good this afternoon, Friday, August 30, and the five will be out of a job.
The new system will require visitors to either pay by downloading the app ‘PayByPhone’ or by calling 0330 400 7275.
A HoW spokesperson said: “Like all further education providers HoW operates on limited resources and has a duty to ensure those resources are directed to supporting its students in achieving their full potential.
“All college services, including car parking arrangements, are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they allow us to continue to provide the best possible service to staff and students.”
A campaign has been started to ‘save the man in the hut’.
For more details visit: https://bit.ly/2MJGZCK
The college didn’t say how people would pay if they didn’t have a phone.
