More than 1,400 Job Centre security guards began a week-long strike. They are angry at pay rates that see 90 per cent of them paid just the minimum wage. The ongoing and increasing strikes of guards throughout the UK have engendered security.
Guards deserve to receive enough salaries, considering the risks of their jobs. However, the minimum wage for security guards made them take the epic action of going on strike.
The guards have gone on several strikes and consider the Conservative Party guilty of the current situation. The guards’ strike has attracted a great deal of support. Workers and guards believe that Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives are guilty of keeping austerity. They want to lower wages, which would also worsen the impact of wage cuts during austerity on British workers.
Bury City Strike:Â Minimum Wage for Security Guards
The Bury City Security guards’ strike continues after they face threats and abuse over their pay. Their pay is often below the minimum wage. They are unhappy with their pay level while working in potentially dangerous conditions.
Workers are angry at the pay rates when they earn less than cleaners. Eamon O’Hearn, GMB National Officer, said: “These workers do a hazardous, difficult job. Yet, their payment is the same as the cleaners, who don’t have to deal with terrifying hostility from some customers.” The Bury City Security Guards strike is part of an enormous strike of guards all over the UK.
Guards Strike: Guards’ lives are at risk, but they have no money
As announced by GMB, more than 1,000 job centre security guards will walk out in a dispute over pay. Nearly 70 per cent of the security guards now only receive the minimum wage. Trade union GMB research shows more than 80 per cent regularly suffer abuse. They suffer from being savaged in the neck by dogs, punched, attacked with screwdrivers and customers behaving ‘like wild animals.
Adil Hussain has worked at Rochdale Job Centre for four years. He told Rochdale Online News: “We are the ones dealing with the violence, the drunks, the trouble. We work hard. We have families to support.” When everything goes up, life goes up, and people expect to earn more for working extremely hard. Guards are trying to have a clear message. When they are putting their lives at risk to secure customers, why not earn enough to live?
Minimum wage for security guards: The Conservatives Fault
The guards on strike due to their minimum wage believed that the Conservative government came in. They started all these austerity measures and froze salary increases for civil servants. Union representative Asim Pervez said, “We are security guards at the job centre. When I started about ten years ago, I earned about £2 more than the national minimum wage. The Conservative government came in and started all these austerity measures, and they froze salary increases for civil servants.”
The UK’s austerity program was unnecessarily harsh and deep, making it counterproductive over the long run.
Austerity: Minimum Wage for Workers
The impact of wage cuts during austerity on British workers is under the consideration of many critics and people. Austerity has ignored the potential risks. The threat of unemployment is supposed to discipline workers into accepting lower wages and avoiding strike action. The working people have tolerated so much suffering over the last decade that many feel they have little to lose. When they can barely meet their needs, not demanding wage increases seems like a greater risk than doing so.
The past decade has exposed austerity as the most destructive policy, but the Tories are determined to keep it alive. 3.7 million people are in insecure work, and nearly two million (1.85m) self-employed people earn less than the minimum wage. Overall, the levels of poverty in the UK have changed in 15 years. However, the number of people in working households living in poverty in Britain has increased from 5 million to 8 million.
Guards Strike: Lack of Safety for UK
Many DWP offices will close on Tuesday (7) and Wednesday (8) due to strike action by G4S staff. The GMB union calls the strike. The significantly reduced security presence on strike days will make many DWP sites unsafe for staff. Moreover, we have demanded that DWP not open offices if they are dangerous.
Unions also warned that the new government would face more Jobcentre closures if the dispute were not resolved. In this case, the security of shops, organizations, and other places supported by guards will be at risk of bullies. The UK government should be wise not to create chaos by keeping the minimum wage for security guards.
Angry Security Guards Talk: Provided Capital but No Payment
Meanwhile, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has paid £211 million to G4s since December 2022. Despite staff costs being just £161 million during the same period, there is a difference of £50 million. However, workers are angry that over 90 per cent of guards receive just the minimum wage.
Eamon O’Hearn, GMB National Officer, said, ” It is for the Conservative Government. DWP and G4S have happily overseen hundreds of days lost to Job centre closure. The security guards go hungry on poverty pay.”
Guards Going on Strike: Supporters
Oliver Roethig, UNI Europa Regional Secretary, said: “GMB and security guards in the UK today inspire all of us. The trade union movement is the only way to ensure safe jobs. It helps to win decent pay and good and fair working conditions for all.
Michala Lafferty, Head of Property Services for UNI Global Union, said: “We urge G4S management to reengage in meaningful negotiations. They must properly compensate and recognize their employees’ dedication and hard work”.
