The security and event stewarding contractor Carlisle Support Services reports its decision to completely remove the use of subcontractors to, in its words, fulfil core roles across its contracts. The firm stresses ethical labour practices and raising standards within the security sector behind its decision.
The company says that it recognises the challenges posed by suppliers and buyers who seek to drive down pay rates and margins to unsustainable levels. Despite industry pressures, the firm says it remains steadfast in its commitment to company values, emphasising the importance of working with clients who value their team members. Carlisle’s CEO Paul Evans spoke of boldness and bravery required to do away with subcontracted labour, and urged other security companies to follow suit.
He said: “I am so proud of my entire team and family at Carlisle, who stand firm behind our company purpose, namely our ‘WHY’. We vowed that we would be different in the markets that we operate within and that we would place all our efforts into ensuring we continue to champion a strategy that seeks to work with clients who value our family members and the amazing work they do.
“We will continue to develop exceptional people, provide clear career development pathways, and deliver exceptional levels of service to our world-class portfolio of clients.”
The contractor gave as reasons besides the regulator the Security Industry Authority’s review of its Approved Contractor Scheme (consultation closed yesterday), the proposed Protect Duty (the Terrorism – Protection of Premises Bill, more commonly known as Martyn’s Law; and heightened media interest in labour exploitation as a whole.
Carlisle points meanwhile to its support of the Real Living Wage movement (which sets hourly pay at £12 for the UK, and £13.15 inside London). As an aside, the national minimum wage rose to £11.44 this week, from £10.42 set last year.
Background by Mark Rowe:
Subbing out of labour, while hardly confined to private security, has rumbled as an issue. Hence the British Standard BS 10119 Provision of Labour in the Security and Events Sector – Code of Practice drafted by the British Standards Institution, based on the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) NCP 119 Code of Practice. While the NSI has promoted such standards and codes of practices as against ‘rogue’ labour, in fact it can be quite the opposite; a routine practice, even by the largest guarding contractors supposedly with the widest national coverage.
As featured in the April print edition of Professional Security Magazine, at the thought leadership summit by Prof Martin Gill before the 2024 UK OSPAs presentation in London in February, Tim Kendall, of G4S, spoke of being unable to make sense of the ‘extended labour supply chain’ in contract guarding, on business reputation, compliance, and even cost grounds. As Carlisle’s statement suggests, use or not of sub-contract staff is tied up with wider conditions of security guards, including pay (given that each company in the supply chain takes its cut).
Carlisle’s Innovation Lab day in Liverpool in February was featured in the March and April print editions of the magazine, including (in April) debate among employers of contract labour the difficulty to recruit and retain ‘talent’.
