People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson has called for a report into security contracts at council owned and/or managed buildings in the Lucan, North Clondalkin and Palmerstown area. A motion asking the Chief Executive to produce a report to see if any buildings have contracts with the company Top Security was passed at the January Area Committee meeting. Top Security is currently involved in a High Court case against the Employment Regulation Order which would give pay increases to security workers. The court case is blocking pay increases for about 16,000 workers in the sector across the country.
Cllr Madeleine Johansson said: “I put forward this motion because I want to make sure that there are no public contracts with Top Security while they engage in this court case. This company is blocking much needed pay increases for the entire sector. Security workers are some of the lowest paid workers in the country and the Employment Regulation Order would have taken wages to €12.50 per hour in August and €12.90 per hour in February 2023. But these pay increases are now being blocked by Top Security.
“I have stood alongside security workers on protests and they have told me that they are struggling to pay bills, mortgages or rent. It’s absolutely outrageous that a company can take legal action to block pay increases for the entire sector. The very least I can do as a public representative is highlight this issue and call for any company or public body that has a contract with Top Security to not renew those contracts until they drop the legal case.”
