G4S officers want other issues addressed

Security officers at G4S Solutions (Barbados) Ltd are not satisfied with the slight pay hike that they received after almost a decade of lobbying for a wage increase.

That is according to president of the G4S division of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), Ormond Mayers who told Barbados TODAY that security guards felt they also deserved back pay considering the length of time it took for the issue to be addressed.

Exactly two weeks ago, following a standoff with G4S management and the BWU, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that the security firm had agreed to increase the wages of its security officers from $7.42 an hour to $8.79 an hour from January 1, 2021.

However, there was no mention of back pay.

Mottley said the development had also paved the way for the establishment of a National Minimum Wage.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Mayers said many security officers were not happy with the outcome after waiting seven years without a pay increase.

“The majority of security officers are not satisfied, I can tell you that. Seven years without an increase and people having difficulty and they [G4S] cutting people’s hours of work, that made it very difficult for us to survive.

“We would like our back pay but the company is saying that at this moment they can’t afford it, but the workers are not really satisfied,” Mayers maintained.

Additionally, he said the issue of security officers being forced to work in unsatisfactory conditions had not been addressed.

In a video that was sent to Barbados TODAY, a G4S security officer highlighted the dirty environment he was working in.

It showed a mouldy security hut as well as dirty kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Mayers said the situation had been brought to the attention of G4S management more than a year ago, but nothing had been done.

“It is an ongoing situation where the company is failing to address safety and health issues. The facility such as the one that was sent to you, workers shouldn’t have to work under those circumstances. That is only one example but it is very prevalent,” he said.

“I have been raising this issue with management over and over and over again. The problem is that they acknowledge that the officer has the right to decline his duties but what they are saying is that they are under no obligation to reassign the officer which means the officer either has to continue to work under the conditions or go home without pay.

“We even put forward a proposal during our negotiations that if certain locations don’t meet the health and safety standards that they shouldn’t accept the contract, but this was never honoured. They accept the contract despite whatever conditions the security officers have to work under,” he stressed.

Mayers said the issue had already been brought to the attention of the BWU.

Efforts to reach BWU general secretary Toni Moore for comment proved unsuccessful up to press time.

(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)