G4S pledges its support for armed forces reservists
Leading global integrated security company commits to providing 600 staff for the military reserve.
![From left: CEO of G4S, Ashley Almanza, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and General Sir Peter Wall signing the corporate covenant [Picture: Sergeant Pete Mobbs, Crown copyright]](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/image_data/file/28978/s300_DMC-G4S_960.jpg)
Ashley Almanza, Michael Fallon and General Sir Peter Wall signing the corporate covenant
G4S has announced its commitment to provide at least 600 employees as members of the military reserve from 2017, making it one of the UK’s leading employers of armed forces reservists.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of G4S, Ashley Almanza, and General Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff, signed the armed forces corporate covenant at a ceremony hosted by the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon.
The corporate covenant is a voluntary pledge made by a company or charity to support the armed forces community.
Under the terms of the covenant, G4S has pledged to implement flexible working conditions for members of staff which will allow them to continue their training and be deployed on exercise when needed by the Ministry of Defence.
Ashley Almanza said:
We are very proud to play our part in supporting Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and we are determined to be one of the leading employers of armed forces reservists in the country, in support of the government’s new strategy for introducing additional reserve forces.
We already employ large numbers of former service personnel and today’s commitment through the armed forces covenant further underlines the close relationship that G4S has with the UK armed forces.
The covenant also confirms G4S’ commitment to support the Career Transition Partnership, a UK-based resettlement service which aims to provide civilian employment for ex-forces personnel. As part of this pledge, G4S will guarantee interviews for ex-forces personnel for appropriate vacancies.
The Defence Secretary said:
It is right that everyone, including businesses, recognises the tremendous contribution and sacrifice that our armed forces and their families make for our country. Many firms already back our armed forces and I want to help them improve what they offer and to encourage others to provide similar support.
So I am pleased to see G4S taking the opportunity to formally support our armed forces community and to make a real difference to their lives by signing the corporate covenant.
General Sir Peter Wall said:
It is incredibly encouraging that employers like G4S are seeing reserve service as an asset in their employees and that their employment is mutually beneficial to both defence and the company.
We recognise that we cannot grow our reserve forces alone and we need to work in partnership with big businesses such as G4S and support them so that they in turn can support our reserves.