Guarding

Securitas UK hail Living Wage

by Mark Rowe

Securitas UK reports their accreditation as the 100th Recognised Service Provider, working with the Living Wage Foundation, to offer a real Living Wage option alongside every tender opportunity to prospective and current clients.

This means the client always has the choice to set the Living Wage at the point of tender and there is a pathway towards the real Living Wage. Securitas UK has also committed to pay all its head office staff the Living Wage as per the Living Wage Employer agreement. Pictured from left to right: Tracey Hutson, Head of Communications, Securitas UK; Craig Robb, Chief Commercial Officer, Securitas UK; Caroline Reilly, Senior Programme Manager, Living Wage Foundation; Kenneth Larsen, Managing Director, London and East Anglia; and Sarah Hayes, Head of HR, Securitas UK.

Securitas UK is part of some 3500 employers that support and promote the real Living Wage, and who are committed to ending low pay in the UK’s lowest paid service sectors. The London Living Wage is set at £10.20 per hour and covers all boroughs in Greater London. The UK Living Wage for outside of London is £8.75 per hour. These figures are set annually by the Resolution Foundation.

Grainne Kelly, Human Resources and Securitas Operations Centre Director said: “We are proud of our commitment to always offer a real Living Wage option when contracting staff to clients. We believe that every member of staff should earn a wage that meets the cost of living, and we are working hard to make this a reality. At the moment not all of our employees will receive the real Living Wage, but we hope that by offering a Living Wage option to both existing customers as well as within tender opportunities, more and more people will see the benefits of our work with the Living Wage Foundation. As a world leader in security services our accreditation demonstrates our investment in quality, in our people and in our future.”

Roger Jenkins, GMB National Officer, said: “This is fantastic news for the hard-working staff of Securitas. GMB members in security do an incredible job – from risking their own lives on a daily basis, to saving the lives of others and protecting the public and property in the current high level terrorist threat. For too long these workers have been undervalued and underpaid and we applaud Securitas in being the first major security employer to recognise the true value of their role. The very least these highly-trained, highly skilled professionals deserve is a living wage. Securitas deserves praise for recognising that fact.”

Living Wage Foundation Director, Katherine Chapman said: “The benefits the Living Wage brings to staff and business are clear. I welcome the leadership shown by Securitas UK on this important issue.”

Background

In the UK Securitas employs over 11,000 employees. It has an operational centre in Milton Keynes. On a global scale, the Swedish-based multi-national employs over 335,000, across 54 countries.

In April 2016 the UK Government introduced a higher minimum wage rate for all staff over 25; even calling it the ‘national living wage’. However the Living Wage campaigners argue that although a welcome rise it wasn’t for low-paid a true Living Wage as it isn’t calculated based on actual living costs. Visit https://www.livingwage.org.uk.

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