Staff walk out at asylum site in contract dispute

A large number of security staff did not turn up to work at a former RAF station housing asylum seekers, a union has said.

MDP Wethersfield in Essex has housed hundreds of single male asylum seekers since July 2023.

The Security Industry Federation (SIF) claimed 22 out of 31 security contractors did not show up at the site on Thursday, in a dispute over pay, terms and conditions.

But the Home Office disputed this figure, saying "fewer than one third" of staff failed to report to the site "for various reasons".

"This did not have an impact on day-to-day operations of the site, which continued as normal," a spokesperson said.

The Home Office's contractor, Clearsprings Ready Homes, which provides services at Wethersfield, has also been contacted for comment.

Daniel Garnham, the general secretary at the SIF, said workers had faced a number of safety incidents in recent months.

"Our members have been spat on, they've been abused, they've been assaulted," he told the BBC.

"They have no faith they are going to be protected, looked after; they don't have the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) that they would need to actually defend themselves from any harm."

The union says security workers are currently classed as self-employed, working for Lead Element Security.

But they are due to be employed as PAYE staff by Clearsprings as of 1 November, the SIF has said.

On Monday, 63 staff signed a letter to Clearsprings raising a series of demands, including that they see a copy of their new contract and that job roles be clearly defined.

Workers had started being asked to carry out extra jobs, such as clearing out rubbish and cleaning the floors, the union said.

The SIF said the shortfall in staff on Thursday was covered with agency workers, but it claimed these staff could not operate radios and other vital equipment.

Mr Garnham said the union had written to Security Minister Dan Jarvis about the issue, but had not received a response.

Clearsprings has a 10-year contract with the Home Office to provide services to asylum seekers.

It has faced criticism over poor living conditions and food, despite making £187m in profit since 2019.

In July, Braintree District Council revealed it had been told the capacity at MDP Wethersfield would increase from about 800 men to 1,220.

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