Well, lets not forget the National Minimum Wage rates are £6.08p [due to rise to £6.19p in October}. The London weighted rate of a Minimum Wage of £8.50p is not a legal rate but one that is recommended by the Mayor of London as a benchmark for a living wage in that area. As I mentioned earlier the Parliament Cleaners have asked to an enquiry into their wages as they are only getting the National Minimum Wage rate of £6.08p and would obviously like the London Weighted Rate. Let's also not forget that a single Security Officer can be left in charge of a Million or more pounds Industrial or Retail site within minimum resources and be expected to make sure it's still there intact for the Client and employees to return to in the morning or after the weekend. Some clients even expect the Security Officer to check machinery that is running etc during the night. So this G4S debacle is no reflection on them, but is focused on a Security Company failing to recruit short term employees in a short space of time, with absolutely minimum training under the title of "Security Officers and the Government, the Security Firm and the Public expecting loyalty, professionalism, allegiance, and quality of service as good as the Emergency Services. You have got to be joking!!
Good idea, Hydrogen I'd be a good, loyal and consciencious employee - as long as it's not raining! Then I'd stay in my cubby hole and drink tea
Yes Shiney, as I'm strolling along the side of a beautiful riverbank, watching kingfisher,damsel flies and a mother duck with her 8 little babbies discovering the new exciting world..... I say to myself " And I'm being paid to do this!!" Jenny (State and CS Pension)
Absolutely correct - this is the thing that most people living outside the area don't realise. To many, my salary would appear to be dream money (£33k gross, so about £26k net), however living in this area is is just about 'decent', especially when you consider that my annual rent is £13k alone, so by the time gas, electric, water, diesel, council tax and phone/broadband are factored in I am at least £20k out before I even eat. Thankfully, Mrs C works, and I can supplement my income at times with overtime, otherwise we simply couldn't afford to live around here.
I agree it must be more expensive living in London but that still does not change anything the hotel was in manchester where only a handfull of staff turned up for work. Police were drafted in to protect Olympic athletes staying at a hotel in Manchester after G4S failed to provide enough security guards. Its nothing to do with pay or location its just bad management.
Actually, Hydro, it's just bad recruiting. The recruiting staff are under pressure to get recruits, recruits, recruits, so they will take anything they get in front of them that looks like it's breathing.
Correct. The ex-Foreign secretary and convicted sex-pest Baron Reid of Cardowan. He works as a consultant for 4 hours A MONTH and lifts a salary of 50k quid a year PLUS bonuses. With his contacts you now know why G4S got the gig.
Heaven help anyone "in their care" should a nasty incident arise. Me - I'm happy that the Armed Forces are doing the job. The one they've been trained to do,
You might be happy about it, Jenny, but the guys and gals fresh from Afghanistan having to do the duties without even a day with their families and friends aren't.
Point noted Armandii, but I would have thought there were sufficient based in house to top up GS4's deficiency without bringing in those mentioned above. And if not, then I am equally worried.
You've hit the nail on the head, Jenny..........do you think they'd be using troops from Afghanistan if they did have enough "in house" troops.
Definitely not fair on the soldiers. I'm with Jenny in that I'm glad they're doing the job, but I can't believe the bare faced cheek of the government to be able to say within days of starting to lay service men and women off, that they now have to also do extra work to cover for the massive failures of government (and lets face it, we blame G4S, but ultimately it was the government that is responsible, they outsourced the work fair enough, but when you delegate, you take responsibility for those you pass the job on to). Yet another reason why I find the whole olympics thing to be an embarrassment.
