The Transport and General Workers Union has called on Home Office minister Tony McNulty to explain why SIA security staff are excluded from the EU Working Time Regulations.
In a letter to the minister T&G national secretary Jennie Formby said the industry had expanded significantly in importance and in numbers employed since 9/11 but that working conditions and pay lagged behind.
It really is time this institutional unfairness was sorted outT&G national secretary Jennie Formby.
In particular she pointed to the long hours, low pay culture, which was partly down to reasons "best known to government" as security workers are "exempted from key provisions of the Working Time Regulations".
"It really is time this institutional unfairness was sorted out," she said.
"There is no justification whatsoever for this diminution in working rights for this group of workers, other than to allow employers to save money by employing fewer people and by effectively forcing their employees to work excessively long hours with no enhanced overtime pay"
Security worker and senior T&G lay officer Hitesh Dave said the undoubted importance of the job was more than offset by the long hours and low pay. This, he added, was exacerbated by individuals also being told to pay for their own licence to do the job in the first place. At £245 from 6th April, the fee is increasing by 29%.
"Licensing is a good thing because it means the industry is regulated. But it is unreasonable to say to security guards on £5.35 an hour, many of whom have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to earn a living wage, that they have to pay the £245 licence fee. In most cases this is the equivalent to a week's pay," he said.
Formby said the T&G was fully behind the principle of licensing but that she would press the minister to find a solution to employers forcing their own staff to finance the licence fee.
In her letter Formby said, "The T&G is launching a concerted organising strategy for the security industry and will be campaigning vigorously on these issues in particular. We would welcome an opportunity to discuss these and related matters."