Close Protection and RST pay scales.
Formation of a Close Protection Trade Union
This industry has collapsed fairly recently, mostly due to lads/girls taking any job at any price. This is affecting the whole Close Protection market and as a result employers are reducing rates at an alarming rate. Pay scales are now almost at the same level as 2000 and destined to decrease to a level below uniformed manned guarding roles by the end of 2009. In fact, some CP/RST roles actually pay less than manned guarding badge security positions in London. Let me go through the following facts with you and see if we can come up with a solution. Bear with me...
In 1999/2000 the STANDARD DAILY RATE:
RST - £125 PLUS ACCOMM PROVIDED.
CP - £150 PLUS ACCOMM PROVIDED.
APPROX 400 CPS IN UK TOTAL
In 2008 the STANDARD DAILY RATE:
RST - £125/130 NO ACCOMM
CP - £150/75 NO ACCOMM
APPROX 5000 CPS IN TOTAL
What is wrong with this picture and why has it happened?
A number of contributing factors have lead to RST and CP wages being on par with London uniformed security guards. (Oh, BTW, they didn't pay for a CP course, just a quick manned guarding badge...think about this for a while...I'll come back to it later)
These are some reasons why wages have fallen dramatically:
- A huge exodus of lads/girls from the forces into private security chasing the “cash cow” (the cow died a year ago)
- A huge number of Training companies appearing overnight, catering for the need to qualify new CP's. Some companies have been established for years and produce very good operators, some extract the Michael and promise “Madonna and shades work if you train with them”. I will name and shame these bad training providers at a later date, why not? They've destroyed our industry. They are churning out operators with extremely bad skills at a horrific rate.
- An agreement between certain training providers and recruiters. Here is an example of what would happen in 2000 and now in 2008:
2000:
You approach the end of your course with one of only 3 companies in the UK. Employers come to see the students, selects the students they require, £1000 per student handed over to training company by employer as “finders fee”.Resullt: training company happy, student happy to be working, Client happy with skill set and professionalism of student. Win Win situation for all involved. Oh, BTW, the training was completely on a different level to what is being churned out of some “All classroom/no practical drills” schools (you know who you are.)
And now in 2008:
You approach the end of your course, you have been promised work,......course finishes.....no work......waiting....waiting.....Ah ha! Job offer....”I've got a position for you, it'll help you get a foot on the ladder...its 12 hours a day at £9 or 10 p/hour, no travel allowance, no food or accommodation, no congestion charge or parking paid for, its in London Belgravia...OK?”, maybe you think to yourself "what a waste of £3000 for a course and 3 weeks of your time for £110/120 per day." Look on Gumtree and everywhere else, you can earn more than that sitting at a security reception somewhere. Think about it. But what do you do? You take it because you think you have no choice...catch 22 experience problem, the employers have you by the short and curlies, and they know it. Trust me on that.
Working for free/ less money than everyone else? OK, I've argued this before so I won't cover the same ground twice, but basically this is what is happening to the unwary:
From an employers prospective: You work for free, they still invoice the Client £250/300/500 per day, extra easy profit for them, so they think...hmmm, lets get more of these mugs on board.
What do you do? Go to a training provider with this proposition: “You persuade your lads/girls to work for me for free for 2 or 3 weeks after they finish their course, we'll give you 50% of what the lad/girl would've earnt” Training provider then tells the students “Right, why not offer your services for free for a limited time so employers can see how good you are? Your time with the company “x” will also give you experience and a chance to network....blah blah blah.” The employer is impressed due to the fact that a certain company has undercut everyone else and is providing labour at an alarmingly cheap rate. Training providers profit increases, Employers costs decrease, operator gets screwed sideways.
Is the penny dropping for those of you who have taken this route? I'm sorry if you have been duped, but why should you provide a “professional service” for free? You are upsetting the market extremely quickly.
- Iraq/Afghan and other hostile areas: believe me, the days of £400/500 per day are truly over. Some companies are paying £150/175 for PSD work, and plenty of operators are willing to work for this rate. If you are not happy working for this rate and putting your life on the line everyday, the employer has a list of 1000's of people who will. This “Hostile” rate is also due to keep dropping over the next 12/24 months. Fact. Of course, companies will respond to this and blame the slow down blah blah. Profit is profit, and achieving maximum profit at the sacrifice of operators on the ground to appease shareholders is all part of the course for them.
If we think outside of the box, sit down and realise what is happening to our industry we have limited routes we can take. Damage control is now the order of the day. These are my proposals:
- Do not offer your services for free, or for less than the market rate just so you can get a “start”.
- Do not accept work for less money than the average security guard who has had little or no training.
- If a training provider offers you work “for free” through one of their “preferred” employers do not accept it, inform us on this forum.
- Form a Close Protection trade union.
Close Protection Trade Union.
I have looked into this and have come up with an idea. I am not a militant tree hugger by the way, I'm trying to see a way of rescuing our industry and achieving “professional wages for a professional service.” I'm sure many of you agree with me, who wouldn't want a better salary?
Now, let me give you a fairly recent scenario.
I will use UK offshore commercial divers as an example (bear with me here). They suffered the same fate we are experiencing now. Their wages were dire, but they were putting their lives at risk everyday and of course there were some fatalities. The problem was, they were self employed contractors (such as ourselves), didn't have a voice (such as ourselves), wouldn't stick together and some where quite happy to work for peanuts as “I just want to pay the mortgage and don't want any hassle”.
Well, this is what happened. In mid 2000, their average wages were around £165/185 a day. A lad had an idea and approached an umbrella Union, the union worked on their behalf and hey presto, a result!
This was the result for ALL N.Sea Commercial diver:
Wages increased for commercial N. Sea divers from approx. £165 per day to around £300 minimum. Those with extra hazardous duties (such as saturation divers) wages were increased from £225 to over £600 - £1000 per day. Fact.
Also, paid for travelling time, a daily allowance for health, dental AND holiday pay.
This has been enforced and a memo is sent to every diving company every year with the minimum pay scales and conditions set in stone. The employers have no choice and cannot offer the lads/girls any less than the union scale and conditions. This was achieved even though the lads were all self employed, worked for numerous different companies and were told “No chance, it can't work” Sound familiar? Well its happened, and it's working well. Working conditions, health and safety and numerous other benefits were achieved in a matter of months and the lads are as happy as pigs in warm brown stuff.
If we got together under an existing “umbrella union”, one with tremendous clout, I'm sure we could sort this mess out fairly quickly. If the Umbrella Union is unable to assist, then I will form one and take it from there. I am not going to sit back and watch this collapse happen any longer. It's time we stuck together and were paid fairly for our services.
Also, regarding training...this really need to be sorted out. Just because someone can get you to pass the SIA exam by teaching the minimum standards means absolutely nothing to many of us. I bow to the providers out there who stick to the old school methods and actually take their students beyond the minimum standards set by the SIA and show them the professional way in which our work should be carried out. This Union could sort out this area too.
Wages:
These should be intensely negotiated. A standard minimum daily rate of £250/350 for UK work is what I am aiming at, and a minimum Hostile rate of £350/450. Employers may say “we can't afford it” (such as they did to the divers) – but it doesn't matter, the Client will have to pay. If the Client wishes to employ a company to provide him/her with personal protection then that Client should be expected to pay the minimum professional rate.
This is totally within our grasp and can be put into motion within weeks.
Who would be interested in a Close Protection Trade Union offering a rapid and total revamp of our industry?
Let me know what you think.
Regards
Shakes.
