Hundreds of Job Centre security guards begin industrial action
Hundreds of Job Centre security guards across the Midlands will begin a week-long walkout today (July 1) as a pay dispute escalates.
The guards, employed by private outsourcing giant G4S, will walk out from July 1 to July 6 across the regions. It is thought around a thousand will strike across the country.
GMB the Union says that its research has revealed that more than 80% of workers regularly suffer abuse, including being savaged in the neck by dogs, punched, attacked with screwdrivers and customers behaving ‘like wild animals.
It says that 90% of the guards are paid just the minimum wage, whilst the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has paid out £211m to G4s since Dec 2022 – despite staff costs being just £161m during the same period.
G4S has told TheBusinessDesk.com that its offer to security staff is a 6.5% pay rise from April 2023, and an average 9.3% rise from December 2023 to April 2024. Once agreed, all backdated pay would be paid to employees.
It’s the best and last offer put to the GMB in April 2024 and the union has refused to put it to a vote by its members. Since 2022, G4S says it’s made 12 pay offers and GMB has taken only two to ballot.
A G4S spokesperson said: “Our dedicated security colleagues do a great job and support an essential public service, sometimes in difficult circumstances. The majority of our staff have not been on strike.
“We urge the union to present our offer to our employees, which is above minimum wage and inflation. We want to give our staff a pay rise and are keen to bring this dispute to an amicable conclusion.”
GMB says ACAS is attempting to arrange talks to settle the dispute, but the DWP is refusing to participate.
Eamon O’Hearn, GMB National Officer, said: “It’s no rocket science – if the DWP and G4S want to end this dispute, make sure these guards are paid enough to live on.
“G4S has been handed millions by the Government, yet our members can barely afford to feed their families.
“The work they do is hard; they are attacked with alarming regularity just for doing their job. The least they expect is to be paid a proper wage.”
The DWP has been contacted for comment, with no immediate response received.
