In the jeopardous cash in transit industry a close working
relationship between trade union and employer has been
key to improving employee safety,explains Julian Duxfield
The cash in transit industry is one
of the moIn the jeopardous cash in transit industry a close working
relationship between trade union and employer has been
key to improving employee safety,explains Julian Duxfield
The cash in transit industry is one
of the most difficult in which to
guarantee employee safety and
welfare. On a typical day, there are three
attacks against people working in the
industry, which provides a huge
challenge for the security companies
responsible for their employees' safety.
With a fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles
and nearly 7,000 employees transporting
cash to and from banks, retailers and
ATMs, G4S Cash Solutions has more
people to worry about than most. Its cash
couriers are frequently targeted by
robbers for 'across the pavement' attacks
and so a primary operational focus is to
ensure the health and safety of its staff.
As the largest operator in the sector, G4S
also has an obligation to take the lead on
calling for measures that will make the
industry a safer place to work.
A common assumption is that in an
industry where employees are at more risk
than most on a daily basis, the trade
union and the company must be in
constant conflict. A significant amount of
friction can exist between businesses and
trade unions, and when employee safety is
a pivotal issue, the potential for conflict is
multiplied.
Contrary to this assumption, G4S and
its employee union the GMB have found
that the most effective way to resolve
potentially volatile health and safety issues
is to work together. Over the past decade
both parties have developed an ever closer
relationship, born from the shared
viewpoint that employee safety is the
number one priority, which means
potential conflicts are solved in a
collaborative and productive manner.
Influencing third parties
One example of this approach is when the
union and company works together to
convince a third party about an issue
affecting employee welfare. CIT operatives
can be placed at risk if traffic restrictions
mean they have to park some distance
away from customer premises, because it
means they have to carry cashboxes a
longer distance. This situation regularly
produces conflict between local
authorities that are rightly concerned
about the safety of pedestrians in precinct
areas, and CIT companies that have a
responsibility to minimise the risk posed
to their couriers.
In Southend-on-Sea, the local GMB
representative helped the branch to secure
access to a pedestrianised area by lobbying
the council directly. With his help, a
solution was devised whereby G4S ensures
its vehicles operate safely in the area by
giving its drivers a special assessment and
ensuring all vehicles operating in the area
are fitted with reversing cameras and
alarms.
In this instance, as in many others,
proactive engagement and cooperation
between the company and union has been
vital to the health and safety of employees.
The two co-operate effectively to influence
stakeholders in several ways. Both G4S and
the GMB sit on three Home Office
Working groups alongside other
stakeholders such as the British Retail
Consortium and the British Bankers'
Association. These groups focus on
intelligence, prevention, regulation and
enforcement of cash in transit crime, with
the aim of reducing the number of cash in
transit attacks occurring in the UK.
The company and the union have also
worked closely to raise awareness of cash
in transit crime amongst key stakeholders
such as retailers, banks and police forces.
A series of Best Practice Guidelines have
been created for specific industry groups,
so that the relevant people within these
industries are better equipped to combat
the threat of cash in transit robberies to
their business. If implemented, these
guidelines reduce the likelihood of cash in
transit attacks occurring as well as
improving detection rates and the chances
of securing successful convictions.
Trauma response
However, whatever measures are
successfully put in place to reduce the risk
of attacks occurring, there will always be
criminals who will keep trying to commit
these robberies, so G4S has worked in
close partnership with the GMB to
introduce a trauma response process. This
process uses an external organisation that
specialises in post-trauma stress
counselling, to ensure that any employee
who feels they need support can get access
to a one to one counsellor for as long as it
is needed after suffering an attack. In 2008
G4S and the GMB also launched the
Criminal Attack Fund, which provides
financial assistance to employees who
suffer serious injury as the result of a
criminal attack at work.
Though no relationship between a
business and a trade union is perfect,
without the cooperation that exists
between G4S and the GMB there are
many new working practices,
technological implementations to
improve safety, and joint investigations
which may never have got off the ground.
Consequently, without these
achievements, employees would have
been at substantially more risk than they
are today.
Julian Duxfield is HR director for G4S Cash
Solutions
