# S12 Labour Exploitation Workstream Report | Go Security > Go Security MD Bash Chishti reports from the S12 Leadership Group's Labour Exploitation Workstream at Mitie's offices in the Shard, and what it means for you. Source: https://gosecurity.uk/blog-s12-labour-exploitation-workstream.html --- [Home](https://gosecurity.uk/) / [Blog](https://gosecurity.uk/blog.html) / S12 Labour Exploitation Workstream Industry Leadership # Inside the S12 Labour Exploitation Workstream: a report from the Shard By Bash Chishti, Managing Director · Published 12 September 2026 · 5 min read For the group's recent meeting, I travelled down to London to take my seat at the [S12 Security Guarding Leadership Group's](https://gosecurity.uk/blog-s12-mission.html) Labour Exploitation Workstream, hosted this time by Mitie at their offices high up in the Shard. I want to share what came out of the room, because the work being done here matters to everyone who buys security, not just those of us who provide it. ## What the workstream is trying to do The S12 Leadership Group was set up at the request of Government to raise standards across the private security industry, working alongside the Security Minister and the Security Industry Authority. Within it, the Labour Exploitation Workstream has one of the most important jobs of all: driving out the exploitation of the people who actually stand the posts, patrol the sites and keep the public safe. If you have read our piece on [labour exploitation in the security industry](https://gosecurity.uk/blog-labour-exploitation-security-industry.html), you will know this is a subject close to my heart. Cash-in-hand pay, informal recruitment through WhatsApp groups, sub-minimum-wage arrangements and licence sharing are not victimless shortcuts. They put vulnerable workers at risk, they undercut honest providers, and in the worst cases they shade into modern slavery. The workstream exists to make those practices harder to hide and easier to root out. The people who protect everyone else deserve to be protected too. That principle is the whole point of this work. ## What we discussed I won't speak for the group or pre-empt anything that is still being finalised, but the direction of travel is clear and encouraging. The conversation centred on a few themes: - **Turning warning signs into shared intelligence.** The red flags of exploitation are well understood; the challenge is joining the dots across the industry so bad actors can't simply move on to the next contract. - **Raising the floor through standards.** There is real momentum behind the newly published [BS 10119](https://gosecurity.uk/blog-bs-10119.html), the standard governing the provision of labour into the security and events sector, as a practical tool for buyers and suppliers alike. - **Aligning with enforcement.** With the new [Fair Work Agency](https://gosecurity.uk/blog-fair-work-agency.html) now consolidating employment-rights enforcement, the workstream is focused on how the industry supports and complements that effort rather than waiting to be policed. - **Giving buyers better questions to ask.** A recurring theme was empowering the organisations that purchase security to spot the difference between a compliant provider and a cheap quote that only works because someone isn't being paid or protected properly. ## Why Go Security is in the room We didn't build Go Security to sit on the sidelines of this conversation. We employ around 300 officers every month, and every single one of them, including our K9 dog handlers, is on PAYE, properly paid, taxed and protected. Every officer is screened to [BS 7858](https://gosecurity.uk/blog-bs-7858-vetting.html) before they set foot on a client site. Being part of the S12 workstream is a natural extension of how we already operate, and a chance to help lift standards for the whole sector, not just our own corner of it. It also keeps us honest. Sitting alongside some of the largest names in the industry, sharing what works and what doesn't, sharpens the way we run our own business. Our clients are the ultimate beneficiaries of that. ## What it means for you If you buy security, the single most useful thing to take from all of this is confidence to ask harder questions. Are the officers on your site employed on PAYE? Can the provider evidence right-to-work checks and BS 7858 vetting? Would their pay and hours records stand up to inspection? Good providers will answer these without hesitation. The rest is where the risk lives. ### Work with a provider that lives these standards Go Security is 100% PAYE, BS 7858-vetted and an active supporter of the S12 Leadership Group's work to raise standards across the industry. Book a free, no-obligation security audit and see the difference it makes. [Book a Free Audit](https://gosecurity.uk/security-audit.html) This article reflects Go Security's own perspective on its participation in the S12 Leadership Group and does not speak on behalf of the group or any other member organisation. [← Back to all posts](https://gosecurity.uk/blog.html) --- Go Security Ltd, Unit 2K1, Hastingwood Business Park, Wood Lane, Birmingham B24 9QR. Tel 0800 471 4792 (24/7 control room). Email control@gosecurity.uk. Registered in England & Wales no. 11722692. ICO registration ZB604756.