Dear GMB Members,

First and foremost, we want to express our gratitude for your ongoing support in these endeavours and recognise the frustration you may be experiencing. We appreciate the significant turnout at our online meeting to discuss the 2022/23 pay negotiations, with many of you posing excellent questions.

Understanding that some members couldn’t participate, we thought it was important to create a Q & A sheet. This aims to provide an overview of the discussed matters and address questions raised by members, ensuring transparency and inclusivity.

• GMB Member G4S Pay Update 28th Feb 2024

  Q:How long before strike day does a non member have to join. Eg can they join the week /day before

  A: Non-members can join up until the day before a strike – however if they join prior to/during balloting, they can then also help to ensure that there is a mandate for strike action.

  Q: This is over December 2022 pay rise. When is the December 2023 pay rise talks. We are gonna get April 2024 government enforced minimum wage rise before any of this. This is a joke

  A: We agree – the Company has delayed the process in order to try and wear members down into accepting a sub-standard offer

  Q: So are non union members not protected if they do not work on the day if any action taken as it say different online.. i have 4 staff who are not members who said they would not work if we strike..

  A: If any non-members encounter any issues during the process, including during any potential strikes, as non-members they will not receive any support from GMB; and as per the reply to Lee, if they don’t join *and vote* before the ballot closes they won’t be able to have a say in the ballot outcome. Also bear in mind non-members will not be eligible for any strike pay if members ultimately take action.

  Q: Do we know if G4S has got the new contract

  A: We’re not aware that the new contract has been awarded.

  Q: if you go for a strike, what about G4S employees no strike policy ?

  A: There is nothing preventing members taking action on pay and other conditions, please see separate bulletin that will be posted on the web board.

  Q: What about back pay if you were made redundant due to a DWP site closing?

  A: There is no legal requirement to honour any backpay to members who are made redundant, however we will attempt to negotiate that in any final agreement.

  Q: What has happened to back pay when is it calculated from and when come

  A: We are seeking back payment to 1^st December 2022, something the Company refused to offer, to date of implementation.

  Q: But in April if the rate is going to 11.44 what rate will we be going for. How many % from 11.44

  A: We expect that over 90% of the contract will be on the new minimum wage from April, and our original claim is for RPI at December 2022, which was 13.4%.

  Q: Why are we only negotiating pay rate. Our holiday allowance is piss poor, not my choice to not work on a bank holiday

  A: That is what was in our original claim, but as described at the meeting, this needs to be the first step in seeking to improve working conditions across the DWP contract and Secure Solutions more widely.

  Q: according with the last discussion we are unskilled workers as we have part of government contract can this to be added as skilled workers

  A: We consider DWP Guards to be skilled professionals, and as such should be treated and paid respectfully.

  Q: Theses a guard here that’s on this for the free ride… he is waiting for the union to fight for his pay so he dont have  have to get his hands dirty or pay the membership 😤

  A: Bear in mind non-members will not be eligible for any strike pay if members ultimately take action.

  Q: Do we get paid when we are on strike

  A: GMB Rule Book provides for payments to members who take action, though more detail, like attending picket lines etc will be distributed following a successful ballot.

  Q: We was told as a small JC that only take about 100+ customers can’t strike, only bigger main JCs can… is that right

  A: No, if our ballot is successful then all members will have the right to strike, regardless of the size of their site.

  Q: What happens if G4s lost the contact and we toupee to another company do we lose the back date pay?????

  A: No any back pay that is Government funded would be payable.

  Q: We should strike like the busses did and get things sorted

  A: We agree, that is why we are going to initiate the legal Industrial Action ballot process.

  Q: How many votes do we need too do to get this sorted I’ve voted for the last 2years nothing has been sorted

  A: The legal Industrial Action Ballot process is a legal one, GMB don’t set the rules, and we have to secure the highest number of votes in favour of striking as possible.

  Q: When the Ballot goes through for strike action, would guards that are not a member are they able to become members and strike, even if just a couple of days before?

  A: Yes, though they will miss the chance to join and actually vote to ensure we have a strong mandate for industrial action.

  Q: Do you think Allied Universal has put pressure on G4s not to do anything?

  A: At the moment G4S does not actually have a ‘problem’ so they are probably happy to sit back and wait until we have balloted.

  Q: Are you dragging this out so that when April comes you’ll throw everything else out of the table

  A: No we have always wanted to resolve this as quickly as possible, which is why we originally wanted to fast-track negotiations at ACAS; and the LNC have always made themselves available to meet for negotiations, it has been the Company who have delayed the process.

Dear GMB Members,

First and foremost, we want to express our gratitude for your ongoing support in these endeavours and recognise the frustration you may be experiencing. We appreciate the significant turnout at our online meeting to discuss the 2022/23 pay negotiations, with many of you posing excellent questions.

Understanding that some members couldn’t participate, we thought it was important to create a Q & A sheet. This aims to provide an overview of the discussed matters and address questions raised by members, ensuring transparency and inclusivity.

• Q. What happens if G4S are unsuccessful and do not retain the DWP contract, have the union approached other possible contractors about pay? 

• At this stage GMB’s Head of Research and Policy has advised that the DWP contract renewal notice has not yet been published, so we have not yet made any approaches to any other potential contractors. 

           We have written to the DWP seeking to have an input into the re-tender process on behalf of members who                 perform a crucial function for DWP.

           Once the tender is published we’ll certainly consider approaching potential contractors as a valid action.  

• Q. Is there any truth in the rumour that G4S are not going for the contract and just kicking this around till April? 

• G4S have not given any indication that they were walking away from the DWP contract and have always stated how important the contract is to the Secure Solutions business.

• Q. Now that ACAS have confirmed that they are unwilling to arbitrate unless the TOR is agreed, is our only option to strike? 

• No, we are presently balloting on an offer, which might be accepted. If it isn’t we will approach the Company about an enhanced offer. At that point we can consider industrial action as an option. 

• Q. How much time must someone be a union member before being eligible to participate in a strike? 

• Someone who wants to participate in strike action needs to be a union member, there is no minimum length of membership. However if someone is not a when the legal balloting is underway, then they will not have a say in the outcome.

• Q. When will we start pay negotiations for 23/24 year?

• We want to commence these as soon as possible once we conclude the current dispute.

• Q. How did G4S cash and transit manage to finalise a deal within three months of the initial offer, while it appears that we are still far from reaching a resolution in our situation? 

• G4S Cash have a history of being organised and prepared to take industrial action. We have not got the same history in Secure Solutions, in part because we have believed we were constrained by a no strike clause, which is not the case.

• Q. Is the company intentionally delaying the contract renewal, considering the uncertainty surrounding it, especially since the guards, who constitute the main income stream, are being treated poorly? 

• That is a distinct possibility; this is one of the reasons we are seeking to meet with DWP on your behalf regarding the contract renewal process.

• Q. Are the company intentionally delaying the pay process due to possibly losing the contract? 

• Again that could be a possibility, however that tactic would be very apparent and likely to have significant reputational damage to G4S, something that we believe they would want to avoid, particularly with Government contracts.

• Q. If we go on strike what arrangements would be put in place to reduce the burden of financial pressure on guards who take action? 

• GMB Rule Book provides for a minimum payment for members who ultimately take action, but every industrial action is considered on its merits to identify if this is appropriate.

• Q. Where do we go from here? 

• The ballot closes on the 9^th, and we have sought a meeting date with the Company in the following week to discuss the results. This meeting will likely determine our next steps. We are also going to schedule another online meeting for the w/c 19^th to update members.

• Q. Might the company take the position, once the minimum wage takes effect, that it serves as your salary increase without providing any back pay? 

• This is effectively what they have already offered by refusing to offer any increase/backpay to Dec 2022 – April 2023. This is a period of only 3 months, so represents very little cost to the Company, and we believe their refusal to make an offer reflects their view of the membership. 

• Q. Surely we are the main income stream for the contract and should receive a fair pay award accordingly? 

• Absolutely! GMB members play a crucial role in the smooth functioning and maintain the safety of DWP sites. It is a skilled role, performed by professionals with a qualified background. It is worth far more than the National Living Wage, which the majority of guards are now on. 

• Q. What happens if you leave the company before the pay claim is settled, will you still be entitled to the back pay as you would have worked through that period ?

• Legally you are not entitled to the back pay – this has been determined previously at tribunal – however we will seek to ensure that as part of any settlement that anyone who has left is paid their back pay.

• Q. How can we preserve and enhance the pay differentials between team leaders and guards, especially considering that the current 6p per hour gap will vanish with the National Minimum Wage increase in April? 

• This is a crucial issue and why we believe that we cannot allow the erosion of the differentials to continue. G4S has the money to maintain, and even enhance the rates, and we need to ensure that we can bring enough pressure to bear to secure that outcome. At present G4S have no reason to maintain, let alone enhance rates, as they don’t believe there is an issue.

In conclusion, it is evident that sustaining the momentum is crucial as we navigate through this process. 

The LNC committee urges members to engage in conversations with colleagues and encourage them to join our cause. 

Our strength lies in unity, and it is in our collective best interests to persist in the struggle for equitable wages across the DWP contract.

GMB DWP LNC                                                                                                                                                 GMB National Officer

Please ensure you share this update with non-members and encourage them to voice their opinions on pay by joining GMB: https://www.gmb.org.uk/join-gmbPhone Number

Posted on: 17 January 2024

COMPANY MESSAGING

Dear members,

Please ignore any Company messaging from Managers, letters or notices that are trying to speak for GMB.

Not only is this a desperate act but it is totally inaccurate.

GMB is clear that members are entitled to pursue industrial action on matters like pay that are covered by the dispute resolution clause.

We are not looking to pre-empt the vote of members but we want you to vote in full knowledge of your rights.

Please ensure you have your say on pay this year and encourage any other colleagues who aren’t in GMB to have their say too.

GMB LNC GMB National Officer

Posted on: 9 January 2024

ACAS WON’T ARBITRATE – COMPANY OFFER ‘DISRESPECTFUL’

Dear GMB Members,

We again want to thank members for your resolve and patience regarding 2022 pay.

In April we called on the Company to move straight to arbitration, but it refused. Instead, it drew out the pay talks and even sought to limit the independence of the arbitrator by claiming it could only afford the following:

• 5.15% consolidated increase from 1st Dec 22 to 31st March 2023 rising to;
• 7% consolidated from April 1st 2023 until 30th Nov 2023.

On November 30th ACAS formally advised that it wouldn’t arbitrate your 2022 pay dispute if the terms of reference weren’t agreed. Then on the 7th December the LNC met and offered to ballot members on their ‘affordable’ position above. However, on the 20th December the Company tabled an offer that is less than what they have claimed is affordable, and making it conditional on the LNC recommending it for acceptance:

• 5.15% with effect from 1 December 2022 and;
• 6.5% from 1st April 2023

YOUR LNC CANNOT RECOMMEND THE OFFER

Whilst this is technically the best outcome that can be achieved by negotiation, the LNC has agreed that it cannot recommend this offer to members because it falls far too short of your claim. Put simply, tabling an offer less than what they have claimed is the limit of their affordability is utterly disrespectful to members on the DWP contract.

As such the LNC has agreed to also ask members that if they reject the offer are they prepared to take industrial action in pursuit of a better offer.

To be clear the ‘no strike’ clause in your agreement does not apply to disputes under Clause F of the agreement, which covers issues such as pay, terms and conditions etc.

Workplace balloting will now be conducted during January closing on 9th February.

It is now important that members ensure their contact details are up to date, and during the balloting process we will be looking to confirm these with members. Make sure you check in with your local GMB shop steward.

We do not expect the Company will be happy with our position on their offer, and may well table something even worse, which would be a poor reflection on them and their attitude to members.

Please ensure you share this update with non-members and encourage them to vote on pay this year by joining GMB: https://www.gmb.org.uk/join-gmb

Yours in union,

GMB DWP LNC              GMB National Officer