Job Centre security guards stage fourth week-long walkout in pay row

Job Centre security guards will launch a fresh strike on Monday in a long-running dispute over pay.

The GMB said more than 1,500 of its members will stage their fourth week-long walkout, remaining on strike until Saturday.

The union said the guards, employed by private firm G4S, do a dangerous job, adding that 90% of them are paid just the minimum wage.

The GMB claimed G4S is in breach of minimum wage laws by insisting on unpaid training at home, which the company denied.

GMB national officer Eamon O’Hearn, said: “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.”

Pay rise

A G4S spokesman said: “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.”

G4S said its offer is a 6.5% pay rise from April 2023, and an average 9.3% rise from December 2023 to April 2024.

“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,” said G4S, adding that it it has made 12 pay offers since 2022, with only two put out to ballot.

Previous strikes were held in June and earlier this month.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are also taking industrial action in the same dispute.