News

Spanish security firm Prosegur continues to make huge profits while plagued with allegations of ongoing human rights abuses of their workers in South America.  The company recorded net gains of 78 million Euros during the first half of 2015.

The growth, which represents a 17.3% increase over the same period of 2014, is partly due to record-breaking performances in Latin America where revenues rose 13.7% to 1.173 billion Euros.  Latin America is their fastest-growing and most lucrative market.

The good news ends there for the company, however, after workers in Brazil threatened  national strike action following complaints that ill-equipped armoured vehicles had failed to protect Prosegur guards from armed attacks. Weapons including bazookas are being used by organised crime groups in the country to attack cash-in-transit vans. 18 Prosegur workers died in 2014.

The company is also accused of multiple breaches of human rights with respect to unionised workers in Latin America and is the subject of an OECD complaint filed in Spain. Reacting to the news of the profits, UNI Global Union, the global trade union for security guards and other service sector workers, issued the following statement:

“No amount of profit is worth the life of a worker. Being a security guard in Latin America is one of the most dangerous jobs around and security guards are dying on the job because of badly armoured vehicles and slack safety regulations that put workers’ lives at risk.

“Prosegur stands accused of having fired hundreds of workers for attempting to improve their working lives and safety on the job, it has brought half a million dollar lawsuits against workers who dared to speak out about poor conditions and it has paid  workers to leave their union.”

“Prosegur needs to value the rights and safety of its Latin American workforce, such as those currently at issue in Brazil.  The money is there, the issues are real.  Now is the time for Prosegur to do the right thing.”