Hundreds of Job Centre security guards across the South East and East of England – including at Margate -begin a week long walk out today [Monday] as a pay dispute escalates.
The guards – employed by private outsourcing giant G4S – will walk out until Saturday 6 July.
The GMB union says workers do a difficult, dangerous job; with research showing more than 80 percent regularly suffer abuse, including being savaged in the neck by dogs, punched, attacked with screwdrivers and customers behaving ‘like wild animals’.
In total, 90 per cent of the guards are now paid just the minimum wage.
GMB says that meanwhile the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has shelled out £211 million to G4s since Dec 2022 – despite staff costs being just £161 million during the same period, a difference of £50 million.
ACAS is attempting to arrange talks to settle the dispute, but the DWP has declined to participate.
Eamon O’Hearn, GMB National Officer, said:“It’s not 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.”
