Queen’s Diamond Jubilee security detail included unpaid people forced to sleep outdoors -
Some of the 80 unemployed people bused to London to work as security during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee had to sleep in the rain under London Bridge and never got paid, the charity which arranged the jobs has admitted.
That same charity, Tomorrow’s People, has a contract with that same security firm, Close Protection UK, to provide security during the Summer Olympics.
“We are urgently reviewing out involvement with Close Protection,” charity director of development services Abi Levitt said in a statement Wednesday.
“We are very concerned at Close Protection UK’s lack of care for our clients and lack of attention to their safety and well-being.”
The Guardian newspaper first reported Monday that the long-term unemployed men and women were brought to London from Plymouth, Bristol and Bath but left stranded without shelter or toilets before the Thames River pageant.
A spokeswoman for Close Protection admitted it had used 30 unpaid people and 50 apprentices, who were paid $4.48 an hour, as stewards during the Jubilee events.
The unpaid work, the spokeswoman, was a trial for the Olympics, for which Close Protection has a security contract.
“It was badly handled and for that we've extensively apologized. We're not in the business of exploiting free labour,” said Close Protection’s Molly Prince.
She promised “better logistics planning will be in place for the Olympics.”
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday: “This is a one-off. This is an isolated incident. The company has apologized.”
Read more -
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1206804--queen-s-diamond-jubilee-security-detail-included-unpaid-people-forced-to-sleep-outdoors?bn=1
Some of the 80 unemployed people bused to London to work as security during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee had to sleep in the rain under London Bridge and never got paid, the charity which arranged the jobs has admitted.
That same charity, Tomorrow’s People, has a contract with that same security firm, Close Protection UK, to provide security during the Summer Olympics.
“We are urgently reviewing out involvement with Close Protection,” charity director of development services Abi Levitt said in a statement Wednesday.
“We are very concerned at Close Protection UK’s lack of care for our clients and lack of attention to their safety and well-being.”
The Guardian newspaper first reported Monday that the long-term unemployed men and women were brought to London from Plymouth, Bristol and Bath but left stranded without shelter or toilets before the Thames River pageant.
A spokeswoman for Close Protection admitted it had used 30 unpaid people and 50 apprentices, who were paid $4.48 an hour, as stewards during the Jubilee events.
The unpaid work, the spokeswoman, was a trial for the Olympics, for which Close Protection has a security contract.
“It was badly handled and for that we've extensively apologized. We're not in the business of exploiting free labour,” said Close Protection’s Molly Prince.
She promised “better logistics planning will be in place for the Olympics.”
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday: “This is a one-off. This is an isolated incident. The company has apologized.”
Read more -
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1206804--queen-s-diamond-jubilee-security-detail-included-unpaid-people-forced-to-sleep-outdoors?bn=1
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