News

Contact:

Christy Hoffman, Organizing Director

UNI

41 (0) 79 769 90 61

christy.hoffman@uniglobalunion.org

G4S’ treatment of its employees “unquestionably amounts to violations of its employees’ human rights,” according to top legal scholars Professor Peter Rosenblum, of Columbia Law School, and Dr. Catriona Drew of the University of London in a new report released by UNI Property Services Global Union today.



“The company’s track record reveals widespread violations. Domestic courts, arbitrators and administrative bodies in over ten countries; independent academic researchers and journalists from all over the world; international human rights groups and the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Committee on Freedom of Association have all identified breaches of human rights standards by G4S in its global operations.”



Last week, G4S announced a 16% increase of profits in 2007, supported by profit rates in the developing world which are 20% higher than elsewhere and a continuing shift of growth to these “emerging markets.” It also announced its decision to divest from Germany and France.



According to Lars Lindgren, of the Swedish Transport Union, “15,000 jobs are at stake in France and Germany because G4S would prefer to increase its margins by focusing on parts of the world where it is not challenged by strong unions. In some countries G4S doesn’t even increase workers’ pay for overtime. In at least one country, it cuts workers’ pay in half. This is something that our global union can’t tolerate if we are going to raise standards in Europe or anywhere else.”



At its Berlin meeting this week, UNI vowed to continue campaigning for a global agreement to ensure that G4S employees worldwide have dignity on the job, and to insist that workers left behind in Europe are treated fairly.



The report states that G4S:

• Infringed on workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining through intimidation, instigating police and military forces;
  
• Not paid workers a living wage in Africa; workers unable to pay for basic food or transportation and some walk hours to work ;
  
• Regularly denied some workers in Africa and the U.S. legally-required breaks for food and rest, and required some staff to work eighty-four hours a week without a day off;
  
• Deflected responsibility for providing basic social security to the states where it operates;

See the report: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/unipropertyn.nsf