Guards at DWP sites across the UK, including in Glasgow, walked out in protest at 1pm on October 18, marking a new phase in their long-standing pay dispute with London-based security firm G4S. This was the first of 16 planned ‘1pm walkouts.’
Supporters of the strike gathered outside the DWP city centre office at Atlantic Quay to cheer the guards as they walked out, while Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 blared out in defiant irony from a portable speaker.
Scott Lynch, security guard and union rep (Image: Newsquest)
Scott Lynch is one of the security guards who walked out. The 36 year old Govan resident says guards feel poorly compensated for the difficult and sometimes dangerous role they take on.
“We feel we deserve a better wage for the job we do,” Scott said. “G4S are asking us for maximum effort, but for barely more than minimum pay.
“We come to work and put ourselves in dangerous situations, to keep staff and customers in DWP buildings safe. That’s our job, and we’re confident in doing it, but our salary doesn’t reflect the conditions we work in.
“Given the risks we face everyday, we feel we’re not being appreciated. It’s time for G4S to offer us a reasonable wage.”
Supporters were waiting to cheers the guards as they walked out (Image: Newsquest)
Scott says that people who come into the DWP often do not want to be there, and can become agitated.
“We deal with challenging customers,” Scott said. “This is a medical centre, so people are being asked about their health conditions. They’re worried they might be declared fit for work and have their benefits withdrawn.
“A lot of people become irate. Incidents do happen. It could be verbal or physical abuse, or people with weapons. And when things do occur, it’s our job to step in and deal with it.
“We put ourselves at risk to make sure staff are safe.”
Though this is the first walkout of 16 scheduled, the guards have already conducted 41 days of strike action in a ‘week on, week off’ pattern.
Scott claims that agency staff employed by G4S to cover security shifts during strike action have been better paid than the full-time guards.
“G4S say they don’t have the money to make a better offer,” he said. “But during the strike period, they employed agency staff to cover the shifts – and paid them more than the guards who actually work in the building.
“We have agency staff coming in who say they’re on £12, £13 an hour. So how much are G4S paying the agency for these workers?
“They can pay agency staff more, but they can’t pay us more?”
Scott says that things have gotten so bad that many colleagues are considering leaving G4S.
“G4S have to listen to their workers,” he said. “A lot of them don’t want to stay at G4S, because they’re not getting the treatment they deserve.
“We used to take pride in our jobs. We came to work and felt we were doing a good job. Now, we’re coming to work just to make ends meet.
“I’ve been with the company 14 years and we’ve never had to resort to strike action. It should never have come to this.”
DWP guards – some of whom are represented by the PCS, though others by the GMB Union – have been in a dispute with G4S over their pay since 2022.
Their wages recently rose from £11.44 to £11.76 an hour after GMB accepted a 32p increase on behalf of their members.
While this increase applies to all DWP guards, not just GMB members, the PCS say they reject this offer and will press ahead with industrial action. They are demanding a minimum pay rate of £15 per hour.
The Glasgow Times understands G4S considers GMB to be the primary union with regards to DWP security staff.
A G4S spokesperson said: “We’re pleased that our pay offer has been accepted. We’re now able to give our staff the pay rise they deserve and deliver services to the DWP and the communities they serve.”
