Security Guard Awarded Over €8,000 for Racial Discrimination and Unpaid Wages
A tribunal ruled that Best Guard Security Services Ltd (BGSS) racially discriminated against security guard James Ajibola, who worked hundreds of hours unpaid. He was awarded over €8,000 for employment rights breaches, including racial discrimination and unpaid wages. The WRC found BGSS systematically exploited people of color, with company officers now missing.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has ruled that Best Guard Security Services Ltd (BGSS), now in liquidation, racially discriminated against security guard James Ajibola, who worked hundreds of hours unpaid in central Dublin shops. The WRC awarded Ajibola over €8,000 for various employment rights breaches, including racial discrimination and non-payment of wages.
Ajibola was hired by BGSS to work at Dublin shops for €14.50 per hour but never received payment for 230 hours worked between July 30 and September 9, 2024, leading to severe financial difficulty. The WRC adjudicator found BGSS “clearly racially discriminated against people of colour,” particularly regarding wage payments. Nicola Coleman of Siptu Workers’ Rights Centre stated that such “systematic and deliberate wage exploitation” would not happen to Irish individuals, noting that white Irish or European employees in supervisory roles were likely paid.
The total award for Ajibola includes €1,000 for racial discrimination under the Employment Equality Act 1998, €3,337.46 for non-compliance with security trade regulations, and further amounts for working time legislation breaches, totaling €4,720.46. Additionally, a Sunday premium is to be paid. This follows a previous award of over €3,300 in February 2025 for unpaid wages. Dozens of former BGSS staff have won claims, with nearly €240,000 in redress registered against the firm, which its liquidator expects to be met by the Employers’ Insolvency Fund. The company officers, including former director Hugh Downes, have “completely disappeared.”