'I have been attacked, spat at and racially abused'

Zahid Abbas said he had been attacked and spat at while working at Kings Heath Job Centre

A JobCentre security guard said he had been attacked, spat at and racially abused while at work.

Zahid Abbas who works at Kings Heath JobCentre in Birmingham, spoke out as guards workers started a week-long walkout over pay.

The GMB union said 250 security guards across the Midlands were taking part in the national strike, which is due to run from Monday until Saturday.

G4S, the private outsourcing firm that employs the guards, urged the union to present its latest pay offer to its members and said the offer was above minimum wage and inflation.

GMB said its research showed 90% of its guards were paid minimum wage and 80% regularly suffer abuse.

“The pay that they are paying us, bog-standard minimum wage, it doesn’t make sense,” said Mr Abbas, who was protesting outside the JobCentre in Erdington.

Steadman Green, a security guard and GMB official, said guards deserved "a decent day’s pay for a decent day’s work”

“Recognise us, give us a decent day’s pay for a decent day’s work,” said Steadman Green, a security guard and GMB official, who was also protesting outside the Erdington JobCentre.

The union added that 1,500 guards were taking part in the walkout across Britain as a whole.

A G4S spokesperson said the security guards did “a great job” and “the majority of our staff have not been on strike.”

GMB said the company’s latest pay offer amounted to an extra 23p per hour, which was too small an amount to ballot members on.

Attempts to get all parties to the arbitration service ACAS have so far failed.