Hundreds of Job Centre security guards will walk out this week as pay dispute escalates

Hundreds of Job Centre security personnel in Yorkshire and the North East are set to launch a week-long strike today over a pay row.

The guards, who work for the outsourcing giant G4S, plan to strike from Monday, July 1 to Saturday, July 6 across both regions. The strike includes the job centre in Hull, located in Britannia House.

Over 80 percent of these workers frequently face violent situations, with incidents ranging from being bitten by dogs to physical attacks and customers acting 'like wild animals', according to GMB Union studies.

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Currently, 90 percent of the security staff earn only the national minimum wage.

Whilst this unfolds, records indicate that since Dec 2022, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has paid a £211 million to G4S, in contrast to the £161 million in staff costs incurred over the period a substantial £50 million gap.

GMB National Officer Eamon O'Hearn commented on the matter: "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."

A G4S spokesperson said: "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.

“We urge the union to present our offer to our employees, which is above minimum wage and inflation. We want to give our staff a pay rise and are keen to bring this dispute to an amicable conclusion.”