Regulating body would fight precarious work – security services operator

A body regulating security services would be the solution to an unregulated market which is repeatedly pointed at for engaging workers on precarious conditions, a security services operator believes.

Together with cleaning and construction contractors, a number of security services companies have been flagged by trade unions - mostly the General Workers' Union - as employing workers with precarious conditions.

According to the GWU, companies were offering bids of security service at a per-hour rate that was lower than the cost of retaining a full-time employee with all ancillary benefits per hour.

But the operators' argument is that their bids meet the client's requirements - in this case the government - especially when in the tendering process it is stated that bidders must not place a different rate than that stipulated.

Signal 8 Security director Joseph John Grech - whose company has been flagged by the GWU for its 'precarious practices' - insisted that his company was vetted, and had proven that it provides its workers with adequate working conditions.

A former officer within the SMU, Grech insisted that there were workers who were receiving less than €6 an hour despite being members of a union.

Grech's workers do not form part of any trade union.

The solution, according to Grech, is the setting up of a regulatory board and the classification of security work.

"Security work and rates should be qualified according to the work provided: security at museums cannot be treated as security within an airport. But without a regulatory body we are just the waiter serving what the chef prepared," Grech said.

According to Grech, the regulatory body would safeguard the interests of everyone: operators, workers, clients and unions. He also argued that the more security workers are targeted as those working on precarious conditions, the more they will be abused.

"The lack of a regulating body means that the first to be on the receiving end of company restructuring or budget cutting are security workers," he said, arguing that companies who want to minimise costs start off by doing away with security.

Grech argued that in a similar way, even security services operators faced 'precariousness' given that any company could stop requesting their service at any time it wanted.

Grech also argued that the previous government used to issues public tenders at a flat rate. "As time went by, the situate deteriorated and no one listed to see. It's time for this government to look at the situation and slowly start increasing the standard," he said, adding he was "convinced" the Labour government would tackle the issue.