Jobcentre staff 'spat on and face death threats'

STRIKING SECURITY GUARDS 'FACING REGULAR ABUSE'

- WILLIAM TELFORD

SECURITY staff at a Plymouth Jobcentre say they have been spat on and are threatened with violence on a weekly basis and yet are paid only minimum wage.

The litany of abuse has been revealed as security guards formed a picket line outside the Jobcentre in the city centre as part of a long-running dispute over pay.

Members of the GMB union have been on strike for the past two days in a dispute with employer G4S and the Government. There are more strike days planned for the rest of this month with more than 1,000 security staff taking part nationally.

In Plymouth, all seven security guards at the Old Tree Court Jobcentre, in Exeter Street, took industrial action, and said it resulted in the Jobcentre being closed for two days. They said they have had enough of low pay, especially as they face threats from members of the public on a regular basis.

Even while on the picket line, someone threw a vape at the striking workers from a passing car, although most passers-by were supportive, union officials said. But such aggressive behaviour is minor compared to what the security staff are faced with while at work.