Councillors want review of all contracts with Top Security

South Dublin County Councillors have called for the local authority to draft reports into security contracts at council owned or managed buildings in the county.

People Before Profit councillor Madeleine Johansson tabled a motion at the Lucan-Palmerstown-North Clondalkin committee meeting this month to see if any council buildings had contracts with the company Top Security.

Top Security is currently involved in a High Court case against the Employment Regulation Order which would give pay increases to security workers.

The court case is blocking pay increases for about 16,000 workers in the sector across the country.

“I put forward this motion because I want to make sure that there are no public contracts with Top Security while they engage in this court case,” Johansson said.

“This company is blocking much needed pay increases for the entire sector.

“Security workers are some of the lowest paid workers in the country and the Employment Regulation Order would have taken wages to €12.50 per hour in August and €12.90 per hour in February 2023.

“But these pay increases are now being blocked by Top Security.”

Johansson says that security employees have been campaigning for higher wages for some time.

“I have stood alongside security workers on protests and they have told me that they are struggling to pay bills, mortgages or rent,” she said.

“It’s absolutely outrageous that a company can take legal action to block pay increases for the entire sector.

“The very least I can do as a public representative is highlight this issue and call for any company or public body that has a contract with Top Security to not renew those contracts until they drop the legal case.”

Johansson’s motion, which was passed by councillors, asked the council to not re-new any contracts with Top Security “until they withdraw the legal case.”

“A report of any findings should be issued to councillors at the February ACM,” she said.

In August, the High Court ruled against the Government’s planned pay increase for security workers after Top Security, Morbury, and Las Security successfully argued that the regulation would support the interests of larger employers and reduce competition and employment by turning clients towards technology solutions.