‘Undervalued' Foreign Office security guards call for a living wage
Security guards working at FCDO Services, Hanslope Park and employed by Allied Universal G4S have experienced a real terms pay cut, resulting in them being paid below living wage.
Allied Universal G4S took over the contract in July 2023 and since then has failed to provide security guards with any wage increase. Consequently, over 90% of these guards have been paid minimum wage since April 2024.
These security guards are entrusted to protect an arm of a government department and are required to have Developed Vetting, the highest standard of security clearance in the United Kingdom. The low rates of pay they receive do not reflect their level of responsibility.
Security officers employed directly by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) can expect higher rates of pay, creating an unacceptable disparity.
GMB is calling for a pay increase, in line with living wage, back dated to July 2024.
Andre Marques, GMB Regional Organiser, said:
“These workers do a very challenging and difficult job protecting premises owned by a government department, but they are undervalued with shamefully low pay.
“Ninety per cent of these security guards earn just the minimum wage and struggle to keep a roof over their heads.
“FCDO and Allied Universal G4S must do the decent thing and make these workers a pay offer they can live on.”
