Job Centre security guards, represented by GMB, are set to escalate their ongoing pay dispute with a new strike commencing Monday, adding to the unrest that has seen three previous walkouts.
Over 1,500 members will participate in a week-long strike ending Saturday, which spotlights their claims of being underpaid by employer G4S for a dangerous role with 90 percent allegedly earning only the minimum wage.
The union accuses G4S of breaching minimum wage laws through obligatory unpaid home-based training, an allegation strongly refuted by the company, reports the Mirror.
GMB’s stance on the matter is clear, as national officer Eamon O’Hearn asserts: “Not content with paying hard-working security guards just the minimum wage, G4S is pressuring them to do unpaid training in their own time. GMB believes this constitutes a breach of National Minimum Wage laws and the Modern Slavery Act.”
In response, a G4S spokesperson countered: “We urge the GMB to present our offer to our employees, which is above minimum wage and inflation. We want to give our staff a pay rise and the GMB is holding this up. 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.”
Furthermore, G4S highlighted its proposal of a 6.5 percent pay increase starting April 2023, followed by an average 9.3% hike from December 2023 to April 2024.
The firm expressed frustration over its numerous offers, stating: “This is our 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,” despite presenting 12 different pay proposals since 2022, with only two reaching the ballot stage, reports
Previous strikes took place in June and earlier this month. Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are also participating in industrial action over the same dispute.
The Department for Work and Pensions has previously stated that some Job Centres may have to shut during the strike action, and claimants will be notified of any changes or delays.
