It was about to crop up during the petrol tankers’ strike and the fuel shortages of 2000 and it’s about to crop up during the coronavirus outbreak; are security industry workers ‘critical workers’ like the police, and prison officers?
The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) is urgently calling on the Government to clarify the status of its members in light of the possibility of a lockdown and the closure of UK schools from tomorrow. The trade body points out that its members cover a range of security services, from manpower and key holding services, security guarding personnel, cash couriers, technology centre monitoring and alarm critical management, fire and systems category one (immediate) response, CCTV operators and security systems installation and operators.
As the Worcester-based SBIA says, all of these roles contribute to the safe and secure day to day running of British business as well as public spaces and institutions. BSIA member companies members employ a significant number of personnel in these critical roles and the Association believes these roles fall within the ‘critical workers’ classification.
The BSIA is therefore calling first for clarification on:
Whether workers who have school aged children in mainstream education from security services such as cash couriers and ATM providers, security guarding companies, security systems and CCTV operators can be classed as critical workers and therefore able to operate on a ‘business as usual’ case – meaning their key workers are exempt from their children being sent home.
Whether security companies who provide services such as cash couriers and ATM providers, security guarding companies, security systems and CCTV operators can be classed as critical services under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and be exempt from any relevant restrictions placed upon transport and travelling, office working and property guarding, remotely and physically.
Mike Reddington, Chief Executive of the BSIA, pictured, said: “Our members provide security services critical to the UK infrastructure on a day to day basis, and in the current climate, these services become even more essential. It is vital that the these organisations continue to have access to their critical teams and infrastructure to support the wider variety of clients, including the police, schools, banks, supermarkets, pharmacies, and critical supply chains. We are therefore calling on the Government to urgently clarify the status of our industry members as critical services and the status of their employees as critical workers.”
