KINGSTON, Jamaica— Guards employed by Guardsman and Marksman security companies filed into the Ministry of Labour and Social Security office on North Street in Kingston Thursday morning calling for an intervention with issues affecting their contracts.

According to the security guards, they said they are being forced to sign a new contract with very little benefits in their favour. They highlighted that signing the new contract would be equivalent to signing away benefits for years of service.

“Me really want know why security look pon that contract and sign it because that contract is rubbish; no contract nuh go like that. When they normally give us contract to sign, is a three-piece contract, they always keep two and we get one duplicate for ourselves and now 13 page of rubbish and you don’t get nothing for yourself to prove that you sign anything; they keep everything. That is foolishness, we cannot sign to that,” one security guard told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Another security guard, who identified herself as Stacy-Ann, said she refused to sign the new contract and called on Guardsman Group Limited boss Kenneth Benjamin to provide money that was due to her.

“I am with the company 11 years now and yesterday I went to work and they pulled me from the location that I must not work. I work with Marksman Limited. I was still on the compound because I never get log out and when I signed out last night I see that I was log out from 7:24 yesterday morning, so I am here today protesting. I want my rights, I want what is legally mine. I am not asking for any of his money. Mr Benjamin I don’t want any of your money, I want my years of service and everything. I’m not signing, so please I need my termination letter, that’s it,” she said.

A Supreme Court ruling was handed down last September for security guards to be regarded as employees and not contract workers.

READ: Supreme Court ruling concerning security guards takes effect

The ruling became effective Saturday, April 1 however there are still concerns about the terms of the new employment contracts offered by security companies and based on this, some security guards have refused to sign.

The guards told OBSERVER ONLINE that companies have warned that failure to sign the new contracts would result in them not being allowed to work.