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Don't let security guard's death be in vain: E tū

Don't let security guard's death be in vain: E tū

The union for security guards E tū says security guard Charanpreet Dhaliwal’s death will be in vain if the recommendations of a Hamilton coroner released today are not acted upon.

The coroner recommended that security guards be required to have completed mandatory training before being allowed to work, and also recommended the training be upgraded.

E tū security industry coordinator Jill Ovens said that security companies were using loopholes to employ people without adequate training.

“The intention of the legislation requiring mandatory training for security guards is being subverted by security companies either directly hiring or using contractors with armies of new migrants on temporary Certificates of Approval (CoAs) who have no previous training,” Ms Ovens said.

“There is no way new guards should be on industrial sites at night without the basic training, and even then, part of their on-job orientation should involve buddying with experienced guards,” she said.

While some new guards get no training at all, even the basic training course involves just one day of face-to-face practical training and about 12 hours of ‘learning and assessment’ at home in the trainee’s own time. There is no on-job training.

Ms Ovens says virtually no guards are offered further training because security companies undercut each other in bidding for work in a “race to the bottom,” keeping wages and training expenses unfairly and dangerously low. Most guards are on the minimum wage or close to it, even with reputable multinational companies.

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“We have requirements in our Collective Agreements for guards to be trained to NZQA Level 3, but this rarely happens, partly because guards get higher pay if they are qualified, and party because the government has taken away the incentive for security companies to invest in training.”

Ms Ovens said security companies should take other steps to ensure the safety of their guards, such as the issue of radio telephones with emergency call buttons, and regular welfare checks initiated from the call centre.

ENDS

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