WORLD CUP 2010: PRIVATIZING SECURITY IN SOUTH AFRICA (G4S)

By: Volker Eick

In April 2007 a global fact finding team from different unions went to South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique to find out about the employment practices of the global player "Group 4 Securicor (G4S)". The team interviewed G4S workers, their family, union leaders and government officials about the security company's practises - they found serious violations of labor laws and blatant racism.

G4S has a huge footprint in Africa. It is the single largest multinational corporation operating on the continent, with more than 82,000 employees. It has operations in 18 African nations. It is hard not to overstate its importance.

For a detailed account of their findings see the attached PDF (Who protects the guards?).

To stop this violations they

Urge organisers of the London Olympics and the South Africa World Cup to withhold any favourable consideration of the company as a contractor until it commits to change its practices and improve its global track record

We choose the opportunity to ask one of the fact finding mission's members a couple of questions:

Interview with Bill Ragen, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), on the Fact Finding Mission in Southern Africa in April 2007

policing crowds: Bill, you have been with a Fact Finding Mission team in Southern Africa visiting South Africa, Malawi, and Mozambique. What has been the initial reason to go there?

Bill Ragen: My union, SEIU, is part of a global campaign organized by UNI Global Union to raise standards for property services workers around the world. The largest employer in this industry is the security company G4S. We heard reports of many problems faced by G4S workers in southern Africa and organized a fact-finding trip to the region to see for ourselves.

policing crowds: In your report you are writing about "Racism: alive and well". The world market leader in private security does not know that apartheid is over?

Bill Ragen: I guess not. It was really shocking to hear about such things happening in South Africa. But we have heard about problems with G4S in countries around the world, so I guess we should not have been too surprised.

policing crowds: In addition to that, the living conditions of the security workers are unbearable even though the Southern African market is more than profitable for Group 4 Securicor (G4S). Can you give just a few examples for our readers, please.

Bill Ragen: In Malawi, we met guards who work 12 hours per day and seven days per week. They told us of going for years without a single day off. In addition, the overtime pay they receive is only half of their regular pay. G4S pays them a regular amount for the first eight hours and then only half that hourly amount for the next four hours. In other words, for a twelve-hour shift they are paid for only ten hours. G4S is the largest security company in Malawi – over half of the guards in that country work for G4S – so G4S cannot complain that they are following local conditions. They make the conditions.

policing crowds: The Mozambique government tried to support its citizens against G4S as the company was unwilling to pay severance payments to its workers. In the end, G4S overruled the government's decision. Can you briefly describe the case and its end results?