Unions accuse Group 4 Falck/ Wackenhut of "poor practices"

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – the largest security officer union in the United States – and the International Union Network claim to have exposed a "huge gap" between security giant Group 4 Falck/Wackenhut's corporate rhetoric and the reality of its operations in the States, calling on the major service provider to "improve its security practices and working conditions".

At a news conference held in Brussels, SEIU representatives suggested that the company – which operates as Wackenhut in the United States – has a track record including "questionable hiring practices, poor officer training, retaliation against employees who point out security vulnerabilities and general security lapses".

In the United States, the SEIU has launched a web site at www.eyeonwackenhut.com, designed to help clients make an informed decision when choosing their security contractor. According to the statement issued in Brussels, the site includes information based on a systematic analysis of public documents, press reports and surveys of employees that reveal how Wackenhut's alleged "high road" rhetoric gives way to a "low road reality".

Instead of "stringent employment requirements", research is said to reveal hiring practices in which inappropriate individuals are placed on sensitive assignments. And, in spite of Wackenhut's claims that it provides "extensive training" to its officers, they are often said to receive limited instruction.

The SEIU stated: "The company's working conditions make it difficult for its employees to provide a quality service. Many security officers are working excessive amounts of overtime, and Wackenhut bosses have retaliated against – rather than encouraged – employees who pinpoint security lapses."

According to the SEIU, these conditions "form the background for documented security lapses, which raise questions about Wackenhut's management and oversight of its operations."

In response, Gary Sanders – chief executive officer of The Wackenhut Corporation, told Security Management Today: "Wackenhut has a long tradition in the US for co-operation with specialised labour unions that only represent security personnel, members of the police service and firemen. One of the main reasons is that we supply security services to nuclear power plants, NASA and a host of other Government-related concerns. These clients have a strong desire that Wackenhut organises its operations – including any co-operation with unions – in a way that lives up to the high security requirements of such installations."

Sanders continued: "The SEIU's campaign has had very little impact on Wackenhut's clients, employees or indeed the US media because the issues surrounding mixed and specialised unions are now well understood."