Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Thursday 11th August 2022

The Government target is for the National Living Wage which applies to all sectors, to reach two thirds of median earnings by 2024. There are no plans to introduce a minimum wage for security workers.

The Home Office sponsors the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which was established by the Private Security Industry Act 2001 as the regulator of the private security industry. The SIA’s core focus is to protect the public by ensuring that all licence-holders have the minimum standard of skills, training, and qualifications required for roles in their chosen sector(s), and to enforce compliance of businesses and operatives with industry standards.

In setting the cost of its licences, the SIA takes account of the impact on applicants and their ability to pay. In April 2020, the SIA reduced the cost of its licence from £210 to £190 and it has remained at that level since.

The SIA does not have the powers to regulate the terms and conditions of individual employment, including the rate of pay; this is properly a matter for employers.

The Government is responsible for setting the statutory minimum wage to protect vulnerable low-paid workers. We encourage all employers to pay their workers more than the statutory minimum where they can afford to but recognise that the ability to do so will vary across businesses and sectors.

The minimum wage applies to workers in every sector of the UK economy. Having a single national rate is clear and simple for employers to understand: all workers must be paid the National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage, no ifs or buts. Introducing sector-specific rates would make the system more complex and increase the risk of non-compliance.

The National Living Wage (for workers aged 23 and over) and National Minimum Wage (for younger workers and apprentices) have increased every year since their introduction. On 1 April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage by 6.6%, to £9.50. This 59p increase is the largest cash increase to the National Living Wage since its introduction. This means that a full-time worker on the rate will see their annual earnings rise by over £1,000. The National Living Wage has outpaced inflation since its introduction – it has increased the pay of eligible workers by 42% between April 2016 and June 2022, whilst the consumer price index has increased by 22% over the same period.

The Government has pledged to raise the National Living Wage to two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, taking economic conditions into account. The UK is the first major economy on the world to set such an ambition. Following the recent increase, the Government is on track to meet this target.

Home Office