UK-BASED GLOBAL GIANT G4S KEEPS ITS 130,000 INDIAN SECURITY WORKERS IN POVERTY.
UK-BASED GLOBAL GIANT G4S KEEPS ITS 130,000 INDIAN SECURITY WORKERS IN POVERTY. ~NEW REPORT CITES UNDERPAID OVERTIME, SHORTCHANGING PENSIONS~ Security guards employed by G4S-among the largest private sector employers in India with more than 130,000 employees are * Paid Poverty Wages * Underpaid Overtime * Short changed on their Workers' Pensions * Have No Job Security, Contracts, Guarantees * Not Guaranteed Workers' rights According to a new report from the Geneva-based UNI Global Union. UK-based G4S is the second largest global employer, with 460,000 workers in 100 countries. G4S pays its workers only the barest legal minimum then uses creative accounting and legal loopholes to further drive down workers' wages. N.M Muthappa, president of the Private Security Guards Union, Karnataka, said: "Clients need to take this very seriously; they are equally responsible stakeholders in fulfilling workers rights." Sudhir Kumar, president of the Delhi State CITU commented: ''Our union will make sure that all G4 clients know that by associating with the bad practice of G4, their image is also eroded." The report calls on G4S to: * Pay Provident Fund contributions and bonuses based on the entire wage paid to workers * Stop retaliating against and intimidating workers who speak out for their rights, including union leaders. * Provide workers with an employment contract. * Pay living wages * Adhere to all laws pertaining to payment of overtime, minimum wages and working Conditions. In addition, G4S should sign a global agreement with UNI that would commit G4S to eliminating workers' rights violations in India and around the world. G4S Indian employees guard multinational corporations, banks, and embassies. India's private sector security industry has increased by one million annually for the last three years, with estimates citing a five-year growth up to 10 million workers. "G4S holds the key to raising wages and conditions for Indian security workers- or to ratchet down standards and deepen the country's poverty. Unfortunately, G4S has chosen to take the low road, impoverishing workers to increase profit margins," said Phillip Jennings, UNI's general secretary. The Alliance for Justice at G4S aims to win a global agreement for workers' rights to join the union of their choice and receive decent treatment, including a living wage and social protection. The complete white paper is at: http://www.union-network.org/UniPropertyN.nsf/EnG4SAllianceCampaign?OpenPage G4S Alliance.