Author: Mdunge Skhumbuzo
The employees of private security companies have lamented that they are experiencing unfair treatment in their workplace. According to the statistics of PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority), South Africa has registered 9 000 security companies that have hired 450 000 employees.
The embezzlement of security wages
The security guards have different grades that range from
A to E. Grade A is a high standard, while grade B- E are in the lower ranks. A
security guard, Mdu Mhlongo, said there is a Government Gazette that stipulates
a wage bill for all the security employees. Most companies have refused to heed
these regulations. The Government Gazette stipulates that, on public holidays,
the security guards should earn a double amount. But some companies are
preferring to pay a single amount. Mdu said he experienced such treatment from
two companies that he chose not to disclose.
The Government Gazette has also stipulated the hourly
wage bill of the security employees, during weekdays. The security guard must
first understand how much he earns an hour before combining it to make a day
salary. The security guard of grade A cannot earn the 'same' amount as the
security guard of grade B. The employees must read all the yearly Gazettes so
that they can be able to understand their annual remunerations, including the
increase.
"Another challenge that caused a robbery is that we
don't read ... we don't understand our rights, and many companies are therefore
taking an advantage. The clients are paying roundabout R15 000 for each
employee, but in the end, they compensate us with R4 000." Mdu said.
Hospitality Cover (HC)
The security companies have also introduced the HC, which
started to be effective in February 2021. The HC policy is supporting only the
security guards and not their family members. Every month, a contracted company
called 'Affinity Health' takes R150 from the salary of employees. Additionally,
the employer also pays R100 to make the entire contribution of HC to be
R250.
The advisor of the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (NBCPSS), Ntombi Ngcobo, said they are receiving many complaints about the HC cards that were supposed to go to the security employees.
"If the security guard gets sick, he/she must use this card to
buy their pharmacy products or pay in a hospital. So, without this card, they
are unable to receive the HC benefits. Not every company has this problem. But
some companies have already distributed their HC cards to the employees," she
said.
Sipho Khanyile said the security companies have collided with the bargaining council to exploit their employees. "This is another way of stealing our money. They did not even question whether we want to join this HC or not. I'm a father of two children, so if I were to choose, I would have never joined a policy that doesn't include my children.
Secondly, I usually work during night shifts, and the winter season is
approaching. If they're failing to give us these cards, in that case, we must
stop them from deducting our money because we will need to use it for flu
medication. Cash is also welcome in the pharmaceutical stores," Khanyile
said.
The effect of 4IR
in the security industry.
The advent
of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has resulted in vast unemployment.
Instead of deploying security guards, most companies are now opting to install
tech surveillance on their clients' premises. The armed response controller,
Frederick Venter, said, "Technology has changed so many things.
You can now monitor your business from a simple app on your phone. Then if you see any trespassing act, you can call the armed response company or police to arrive at your premises. But they're some companies who still prefer the manual guarding system, where the security guard must access a panic button (FSK patrol system), carry a firearm, pepper spray etc."
The security companies are migrating toward operating with numerous applications that trace the outright property site. The future guards will only show up when there is a trespassing case. This change has affected not just only employees but many companies to refurbish their skills, which will outfit the modern Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The entry-level of
women in the security sector
Gender imbalances are still prevailing in the security sector. Most companies have preferred to recruit men than women because of their corporal strength and aggressiveness. While on the other side, women are judged to be friendly and less aggressive. So, these traits have shaped the belief system that posits men to be the favourable candidates for a job.
Nokukhanya Mkhize said, "With my grade B certificate, I've been trying to
get a security job for 4-years. But the majority of job posts were demanding
the male candidates. In some companies, they try to balance the gender by
deploying women during the day shift while men come at night when there is more
risk."
The on-site risks
The security guards are the first people to be injured or
killed on their site premises. At night shifts, women are 'largely' targeted
for rape. While on the other side, men face the danger of robbery. If the
employees get injured from inside their work premises, the employer must
compensate those employees. Unfortunately, when a woman goes through rape or
sexual assault, many companies do not recognize that as an injury.
This issue is not only happening in the security
companies but across all industries. Nokunyaka Mkhize said, "If the rape
case or sexual assaults (caused by a boss or colleague) happens inside the
workplace, the victim must receive her compensation (counselling, medical
assistance, at 2 weeks leave so they can heal properly etc) as a person who got
injured while doing her job."
Nokukhanya
added that there some women who sleep with bosses before they get a job.
"Even if he did not penetrate her, but the pledge of sex alone can be a
sexual assault, which leads to depression, and that depression needs
counseling. So, if you don't have money for counseling which means you may not
heal forever.
" The
'LAD company' did want to reply when I approached them to define "injury
in a workplace." They also did not want to respond when I asked them to
explain why they do not perceive the sexual assault and rape cases as an
injury.
For example,
if the woman is patrolling on the security site. That task is in the best
interest of the company because they will make a profit by that. So, if the
male criminals come and assault a woman while performing that task, the company
should compensate that woman.
Mdu Mhlongo
said some companies deploy male employees to safeguard their premises without
any weapon. "This job is for life or death. There are risks at every site,
especially if you are protecting a place with computers during night shifts.
You need to have a firearm, and some companies are not providing that."
Job
description
The security guards are expected to follow up the instructions of two parties, their employer, and the client.
Thobani Mlambo said, "Sometimes, the
client may give you a command that is against your company rules. This issue is
putting us in a dilemma that cost us to lose our jobs. If I disobey the client,
they report us to the employer, and if I disobey the employer, I get fire. The
employer would tell me that I must respect the client even though he said
something that was against my job description. So, the blames are always
shifted on us."
Comments
Post a Comment