Security guards at National Crime Agency ballot for strike action
The members' employer, OCS, has threatened long-serving guards with job losses and detrimental changes to terms and condition.
The NCA plays a vital role in protecting the UK from serious and organised crime. Frontline security for the NCA has largely been delivered through an outsourced model, involving several external providers, including OCS Group UK Limited.
The closure of the NCA facility at Spring Gardens, Vauxhall means that outsourced NCA security workers now face redundancy or having to apply for new roles on inferior terms with no guarantee of employment. The new roles lose key contractual protections: reduced occupational sick pay, less annual leave and the move from a salaried contract to hourly pay.
Nearly 40 security officers working at the National Crime Agency (NCA) are under threat and those who are members of PCS will be balloted for strike action in a ballot that runs from 21 July to 4 August. Despite PCS representing the majority of staff on the contract, OCS continues to refuse to voluntarily recognise the union for collective bargaining and has refused to consult with the union about the proposed changes.
Betrayed
One serving officer of 20 years said: “This entire situation has left me feeling deeply betrayed and abandoned after years of loyal service. If I lose my current contract and protections, I will struggle to keep up with my living costs and essential bills. The stress, anxiety, and sense of being treated as disposable are overwhelming, and no worker should ever be put in this position.”
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PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: "It is disgraceful that experienced security officers who have spent years protecting the National Crime Agency are being treated as though their service counts for nothing.
"Our members are being asked to apply for jobs they are already doing, only to be offered worse terms and conditions. That is simply unacceptable.
"OCS has failed to meaningfully engage with its workforce and continues to refuse to recognise PCS, the union that represents them. That is no way to treat workers delivering such a vital public service.
"This dispute is another example of why outsourcing fails. It creates insecurity for workers, drives down standards and undermines the public services we all depend on."
The ballot for industrial action will run from 21 July to 4 August.