Labour news from UNI global union - for trade unions in a global services economy

A UNI Property Services fact-finding team that included trade union leaders from the UK, US and Europe, as well as academics, attorneys and NGO leaders has completed Phase One of an investigation into Group 4 Securicor’s operations in Southern Africa and is now finalising its recommendations.

Phase One involved a fact finding mission traveling to South Africa, Mozambique and Malawi to meet with and interview guards and their families, union leaders, clients, and government officials. G4S representatives refused to meet with the delegation.

The delegation found evidence of widespread and systemic abuse labour and human rights including the following:

· A case referred to South Africa Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration in which workers allege that Group 4 Securicor managers at the airport in Johannesburg refer to guards as “kaffirs” and “baboons”.
· G4S managers in Pretoria, South Africa provide white guards with keys to the company toilet whilst people of colour are forced to use the toilet in a nearby mall.
· Guards in Blantyre, Malawi are required to work four hours of overtime every day. For these overtime hours, guards are paid at half of their normal hourly rate.
· Guards in Malawi earn salaries which are insufficient for them to pay for adequate housing, food and for school fees.
· In both Mozambique and Malawi guards work seven days per week, year-round and are not permitted to take paid leave.
· In Mozambique, G4S has refused to comply with a judicial decision awarding back pay to guards who were not compensated for overtime hours. Police broke up a demonstration in Mozambique called to protest the company’s conduct.

UK-based G4S is the world’s largest security provider. It operates in more 100 countries with approximately 470,000 employees and last year its worldwide profits were £277 million. G4S is the largest employer in Africa, with more than 82,000 workers in 18 countries.

The delegation will release its report in London on 30 May, at an event hosted by the Transport and General Workers’ Union and War on Want.

Members of the delegation: Jackie Simpkins, War on Want; Peter Bremme, Ver di; Ijeoma Omambala, International Centre for Trade Union Rights; Professor John Logan, London School of Economics; Ashwini Sukthankar, human rights attorney; Dave Ritchie, Transport and General Workers Union; Gerry Hudson and Bill Ragen, Service Employees International Union; Wilfred Manphala, Swedish Transport Workers Union, Christy Hoffman, UNI Property Services Global Union; and, Fackson Shemanda, UNI Africa.