On 30th October 2026, new trade union access rules come into force across England, Wales and Scotland.

For security workers, and for SIF, this is a major opportunity.

For too long, thousands of security officers have worked in isolation: separated by sites, shifts, contractors and clients. Many rarely meet colleagues working on the same contract. Some have no practical way to discuss pay, safety, staffing, welfare or unfair treatment collectively.

The new statutory framework begins to change that.

From 30th October, an independent trade union such as SIF will be able to make a formal request for an agreement allowing union officials to:

• physically enter workplaces
• communicate with workers digitally
• meet, support and represent workers
• recruit and organise workers, whether or not they are already union members
• facilitate collective bargaining

SIF does not need to be formally recognised by an employer before making an access request.

However, this is not an unrestricted right to walk into any workplace without notice. The legislation establishes a structured process through which unions and employers negotiate an access agreement.

Why this matters to the security industry

Private security is one of the most fragmented sectors in the economy.

The security company may employ the officer, while a completely separate client controls the premises. That arrangement has often made it difficult for unions to reach workers.

The statutory Code specifically addresses workplaces controlled by third parties. Where an access agreement exists, the employer may be required to take reasonable steps to engage with the organisation controlling the premises so that access can take place. The enforcement framework can also apply where a third party obstructs access.

That point is particularly important for SIF members working on outsourced contracts.

An employer will not be able to avoid its responsibilities simply by saying:

“It is the client’s building, so it has nothing to do with us.”

The new framework is built around a presumption that reasonable access should take place, provided it does not unreasonably interfere with the employer’s business.

That could include:

• SIF officials visiting a workplace
• private meetings with officers during agreed breaks
• access around shift handovers
• meetings with workers across several sites
• virtual meetings for dispersed workforces
• union information circulated through staff email
• messages placed on staff portals or workforce applications
• information sent indirectly by the employer to relevant workers.

The precise arrangements will depend on the workplace, operational requirements, shift patterns, security considerations and the workers SIF is seeking to reach.

Employers will have a legal timetable

Once SIF submits a valid statutory access request, the employer will have up to 15 working days to respond.

If the request is not agreed immediately, the employer and the union will then have 25 working days following the response to negotiate the terms of access in good faith.

Where agreement cannot be reached, the matter may be referred to the Central Arbitration Committee, which can decide whether access should take place and determine the terms. Applications will generally have to be made within 55 working days of the original request.

This means employers will no longer be able to ignore a union request indefinitely or dismiss it simply because they do not recognise the union.

Who will be covered?

The statutory process generally applies where the employer, together with any associated employers, employs at least 21 workers.

Crucially, the group of workers SIF wants to access can be smaller than 21. For example, SIF could seek access to six security officers working at one client site where their security employer employs hundreds of workers nationally.

This is highly relevant to the security sector, where officers are frequently deployed in small groups across multiple locations.

The framework applies in England, Wales and Scotland. It does not extend to Northern Ireland.

Access is not the same as recognition

The new law does not automatically grant SIF collective bargaining recognition.

Access and recognition are separate legal processes.

What access does provide is the opportunity to speak directly to workers, explain their rights, recruit members, identify common problems and build the organisation necessary to pursue collective bargaining.

That distinction matters.

A union cannot bargain effectively unless workers are organised. It cannot build organisation unless it can communicate with them.

The new law gives SIF a stronger route to begin that process.

What access can be used for

The statutory purposes include meeting, supporting, representing, recruiting and organising workers, as well as facilitating collective bargaining.

The statutory access framework does not cover organising industrial action. Any material or activity conducted through the statutory agreement must remain within the permitted access purposes.

What SIF Members Must Do Now

The law creates an opportunity. It does not organise the workplace for us.

SIF members must begin preparing now!

We need members to identify:

• the correct legal name of their employer
• the client site or sites where they work
• the number of officers on each shift
• the approximate number of workers employed by the security company
• the digital systems used to communicate with employees
• the names of interested colleagues
• the main workplace concerns
• any previous refusal by management to engage with SIF

The most effective access requests will be based on accurate workplace intelligence.

SIF therefore needs members on every contract to act as our eyes, ears and organising contacts.

Every member should recruit one colleague

Between now and 30th October, every SIF member should aim to speak to at least one trusted colleague about joining.

Explain what SIF does.

Ask what concerns them.

Discuss pay, rostering, safety, welfare, staffing levels, training and treatment at work.

Then ask a simple question:

Would we be in a stronger position dealing with this together?

One member can be treated as an individual complaint.

A workplace group becomes a collective voice.

An organised workforce becomes a force that employers must engage with.

This Is Our Moment

The security industry has relied for too long on a divided and dispersed workforce.

Workers are separated by uniforms, sites and company names but the problems are often the same:

• wages that fail to reflect the responsibility of the role
• unsafe staffing levels
• violence and abuse
• poor welfare facilities
• unpredictable shifts
• inadequate training
• unpaid wages
• unfair disciplinary procedures
• a lack of respect for professional security officers.

The new access rules give SIF a stronger mechanism to reach workers and organise around those issues.

But no law can substitute for SIF membership.

No regulation can replace solidarity.

No official can build workplace power without workers willing to stand together.

From 30th October, the door begins to open.

It is now for SIF members to walk through it.

Speak to your colleagues. Recruit one worker. Identify your workplace issues. Send SIF the information we need.

The law is changing. Now we must use it!