United Voice

In this issue:

1. MSS guards pledge to fight for parity

2. Skyrocketing membership making us stronger

3. Guards dish dirt on dodgy contractors

Dear member,

Welcome to the first edition of our LHMU Security Union e-news.

Guards across our industry are standing together to change their jobs. They are joining our union at record rates.

Last year our security membership skyrocketed by 17%.

This growth means greater power to bargain with your employer, and a louder voice when speaking to government about stronger regulations for our industry.

Now MSS members are getting ready for bargaining. They’re signing up fellow guards into our union and pledging to fight for pay parity with Wilson and ISS guards.

These members do the same work as Wilson and ISS guards and they believe they deserve to get the same pay rate.

They also want to take wages out of competition between the major contractors. This will make their jobs and wages, and everyone else’s, more secure.

Together, step by step, we are making security a better industry.

I hope you enjoy reading our security e-news and see that when we are united and determined there is no limit to what we can achieve.


Jess Walsh
Secretary,
LHMU Victoria

P.S. Have you worked for a dodgy contractor? Let’s stamp out these cowboys! Click here to do our two minute survey. 

1. MSS guards pledge to fight for parity

An incredible 98% of MSS guards have committed to fight for parity with Wilson and ISS guards.

MSS (formerly Chubb) member Merrilyn Hainbach, who works at Monash University, took the pledge because she believes it is vital MSS guards get the same pay and conditions for the same work as other guards.

‘We’re not asking for the earth. We are asking that we are all on the same level, we’re all playing the same game.’

Winning parity would take wages out of competition between security contractors, and ensure guards have greater job security when contracts change.

‘I was with Chubb when they lost the contract where I was last working. I know what it feels like when another contractor undercuts your company and you lose your job.’
 
The new agreement was also about winning respect by addressing important conditions such as overtime.

‘Respect is always the issue,’ Merrilyn said.

‘The first step to get the managers and the companies aware of what we’re on about, that we’re not just the little security officers down the bottom, we’re highly skilled people.’

Members getting together to show our strength is the key to winning the agreement.

‘We’ve got to stand up for our rights as a whole, there’s power in majority. We’ve got to make them wake up and see we’re worth parity.’

‘We need looking after, and that’s why we’re standing up and demanding it.’

2. Skyrocketing membership making us stronger

A groundswell of security guards joining together in our union is making security members stronger by the day.

Last year security membership skyrocketed by 17%.

Wilson delegate Beau Stockton (pictured, second from left) said that growing membership was critical in winning the benchmark ISS and Wilson agreements last year.

‘The reason we won that agreement was strong membership.’

Beau joined the union 18 months ago to be part of that campaign, because he wanted to make his job and his fellow guards’ jobs better.

‘We didn’t have a delegate at our site so I put my hand up to be the man,’ Beau said.

He quickly signed up other members at his site.

MSS (formerly Chubb) members are now fighting to win a new agreement that delivers pay parity with Wilson and ISS members.

Beau believes it is crucial members across the industry work together to make security a better job.

That’s why he is now working with ISS delegates Bobi Pejcinovski and Warren Hill (also pictured, with member organiser Surya Nagulapalli) as member-organisers to sign up more MSS members and delegates.

Beau said as membership grows members’ ‘power’ grows to win better jobs, better pay and better industry for everyone.

‘Having strong members is what gets you anything,’ Beau said. 

‘What is the union? The union is the members.’

3. Guards dish dirt on dodgy contractors

Dodgy contractors who exploit guards and evade government regulations are holding the security industry back, members say.

One LHMU member, who did not wish to be named, said sub-contracting was the major problem with the industry.

‘These companies use people who aren’t qualified at the right level. Their security qualifications are not up to standard. It’s mostly subcontracting companies that are using level two guards on level three sites because they can pay less money. The company does not care, they don’t check their levels.’

Let’s stamp out these cowboys! Tell us about working for dodgy contractors. Click here to do our two minute survey.

Another member agreed there were a lot of cowboy contractors that don’t care about standards or regulations. 

‘They are only in it for the money. They say you’ll get trained up but you don’t get it (the training). How can you train someone else if you don’t know the training?’

The company he worked for lost its contract to a company of ‘money hungry thieves’ that paid guards just $14 an hour.

He moved to another site with the original company, but they slashed his hours and cut his pay by nearly $4 an hour, breaking an agreement they had signed.  A $350 week pay cut was more than he could take, and he left the job.

‘A lot of companies are shifty. They promise the world and give you a grain of dirt.’

Let’s stamp out these cowboys! Tell us about working for dodgy contractors. Click here to do our two minute survey.