More than 1,500 Job Centre security guards based in locations across England are taking part in a week-long strike in a pay dispute.
The workers are employed by G4S, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and are members of union GMB. The strike began earlier this week and will continue until 18 August.
The union stated that the workers are taking part in strike action as they claimed a large percentage of them are only paid the minimum wage. It added that it believes G4S pays agency staff more than its own employees.
Job Centres in the south west, north west, Midlands, Yorkshire, north east, south east and London have been affected by the strike action, which has been ongoing for the past five weeks.
Back in July, Job Centre Plus security staff in Sheffield went on strike over their pay rates. Furthermore, security guards involved in the dispute took part in a mass rally at the Supreme Court on Wednesday 17 July, and marched to both the Department for Work and Pensions and the G4S head office.
Andy Prendergast, national secretary at GMB, said: “Job centre security guards do a difficult, often dangerous job. The least they deserve is decent pay. And G4S cannot keep hiding from their workforce. We’re ready to talk anytime to resolve this dispute. It should not take weeks upon weeks of action for an employer to engage with the workers’ union.
“The power to stop this dispute is in G4S’s hands. G4S gets millions in taxpayer cash to run the job centre security contract for DWP. This money shouldn’t be used to line shareholder pockets while staff struggle to get by.”
G4S was contacted for comment prior to publication.
