Security staff have been left ‘begging for money’ over unpaid wages
WORKERS SAY THEY ARE OWED THOUSANDS OF POUNDS IN PAY FROM G4S
STAFF hired to provide security at quarantine hotels are facing eviction from their homes after months of wages have gone unpaid.
The security staff, hired through contractor G4S, helped manage travellers returning from red list countries required to quarantine for ten days in designated hotels near Heathrow Airport.
Hit by months of wages unpaid, with some facing eviction, many have had to resort to maxing out their overdrafts, spending extensively on their credit cards, or borrowing from friends and family.
One staff member hasn’t been paid since August and claims to be owed £11,780. The dad-ofthree has now maxed out his credit cards.
Another is facing homelessness after their landlord decided to evict them due to rent arrears.
One man with a new baby is the only earner in his family and struggling to pay rent too. It is estimated hundreds of staff members are affected.
The mandatory quarantine for people returning from highrisk countries was introduced by the government on February 15, 2021. Hotels in the areas surrounding key airports such as Heathrow were requisitioned by the government, with staff contracted in to help supply services.
Contractor G4S was brought in. They subcontracted out to a number of smaller firms including AKD, KK, and Knightguard.
G4S blamed suppliers for the delays in payment. A spokesperson said: “In the case of certain suppliers, delays in providing G4S with the required information means that the invoice verification process has been delayed.”
Although providing a good number of hours and paying well at first, as vaccinated numbers increased the red list slowly redyced with the last seven countries removed on October 28. This means there are fewer people staying in the hotels and is less need for staff.
Arfan Malik, 31, a West Croydon resident, worked security at Radisson Blue Heathrow as a duty manager for a team of up to 200 guards.
He told MyLondon: “I’ve had no wages since August. I’m owed £11,780. I was working seven days a week. They were promising good money but we didn’t know they wouldn’t pay.
“I’ve used all my credit cards. I’m not taking benefits. I’m borrowing. I have three kids, a wife. We’re begging for money.
“I didn’t work anywhere but there, 14-hour shifts, seven days a week. Now all my credit cards are at maximum. If they don’t pay, it will be the same problem.”
The furious workers have arranged a number of protests, most recently on November 15, outside the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Faraz Haider Syed Zaidi, 21, estimates he hasn’t been paid for 384 hours of work he did at the Holiday Inn by the M4, Junction 4.
Faraz said: “It’s been hard, very hard, going into debt and managing with credit cards. Rents are not being paid. Council tax hasn’t been paid.”
Around 100 angry employees gathered chanting slogans such as ‘G4S pay us,’ ‘DHSC pay us,’ and ‘What do we want? Our money!.’
A woman in the crowd, who preferred to remain anonymous, is facing eviction due to the lack of pay. She said: “No pay for three months. My landlord has given me notice to leave my house because I can’t pay. I’m earning for my family.
“Me and my sister will be homeless. I don’t know what to do. I honestly don’t.
“I had to borrow money to even get here. I don’t know what I’ll do. Honestly. I’m going to have to go to the council. We don’t think we can survive.”
Patel, 29, has an eight-monthold baby at home and is the only earner in the family.
The dad, who preferred not to share his full name, said: “We have savings but we’re eating into them. We didn’t pay our rent. I have a child. It’s very difficult. Our groceries, I need to feed them. But medicines for my child.”
While there, police informed the protestors that no one from DHSC would come out to speak to them.
Zonash Kiran, 32, an Ealing mum-of-four, worked night shifts so she could be there during the day to look after her kids.
She said: “I’m owed £4,500. I didn’t get any money for September and October.
It’s so difficult. I was working at nights so I don’t disturb my kids. If you work two months of nights, you expect a reward.
“I’m under so much mental stress. It was not easy. I need to send them school. I don’t get much rest at all. I’ve been borrowing money. Using my credit card. I’m totally fed up. My mental stress is so high.
“I wish they would just say they don’t want to pay us. Then we can know. But they keep saying they will pay, they will pay and we get nothing.”
A G4S spokesperson told MyLondon: “It is our policy to pay all suppliers promptly. To do so, we need suppliers to provide information so that we can verify their invoices and make the correct payment. In the case of certain suppliers, delays in providing G4S with the required information means that the invoice verification process has been delayed.
“We are proactively working with these suppliers to ensure that the invoicing and payment process can be completed as soon as possible.
“In the meantime, G4S has paid substantial cash advances to a number of suppliers to assist them in meeting obligations to their employees.”