Securitas accused of thousands of working-time violations

A security guard employed at a prison in central Switzerland ended his New Year's Eve shift just before 8 a.m. on New Year's Day. He had worked 14 and a half hours straight. The case, reported under the pseudonym Marvin Deck by an investigation from Swiss German-language broadcaster SRF, is said not to be an isolated one.

According to internal data from Securitas's regional management in Lucerne, analysed by SRF, more than 20,000 violations of labour law were allegedly recorded in central Switzerland between 2023 and 2025. More than 900 employees are said to have been affected, working in surveillance assignments at banks, convents, football stadiums, hospitals, asylum centres and prisons.

Denis G. Humbert, a labour law expert, calls the case serious and says the company appears to systematically violate the law. Kurt Pärli, professor of private social law at the University of Basel, suggests that the entire operating model may be designed in a way that such violations are at least accepted.

Among the problems identified are rest periods cut to just a few hours between shifts. Working weeks and night shifts are also said to have often exceeded legal limits. Between 2023 and 2025, the limits on night work were reportedly respected only once, at the Zug penitentiary. About 300 employees are said to have exceeded the limits set for such shifts.

The sticking point of public contracts

More than a third of the violations reportedly involved assignments for public bodies. At the federal asylum centre in Glaubenberg, in the canton of Obwalden, around 80 employees are said to have worked at least 1,800 hours beyond the permitted limits. Nearly 100 employees reportedly did not receive the 4,800 total hours of rest they were entitled to. For Pärli, people housed in asylum centres are under the protection of the state and have the right to be cared for by staff working under adequate conditions.

Some employees are also said to have continued driving company vehicles after very long shifts. The experts consulted point to a risk both for the workers themselves and for other road users.

When contacted, Securitas acknowledged errors and practices that did not comply with labour law principles. The company rejects, however, the accusation of a comprehensive and systematic violation, attributing the excesses to exceptional situations such as unforeseen absences or security incidents. It states that overtime is recorded and compensated, and that internal controls have already reduced the number of violations, even though the results are not yet satisfactory.

SRF passed the findings of its investigation on to the cantonal labour inspectorates concerned, which said they would examine the information received. For Humbert and Pärli, intervention by the authorities is now essential. Questions remain open about who should answer for working conditions when security services are outsourced to private companies, and how adequate protections can be guaranteed for those working in asylum centres and prisons.