Dear Editor,

I’m happy that most security guards are getting benefits as employees. But a solution is needed for those working for decades and are now out of a job because they refuse to sign the new employment contract. Some who have been working for decades signed the contract because they have loans and bills to pay and their age doesn’t allow them to easily find other jobs.

My stance on the minister with responsibility, Karl Samuda, remains the same, which is that he’s not proactive. But I am happy that he has established a committee to form the Joint Industrial Council (JIC) for security guards. I strongly believe that, in addition to trade unions, at least two security guards should sit on the council. The council, I believe, should also ensure that security companies are not paying less than the minimum wage.

Security guards are hoping that the JIC will be ready by May, since the task force being set up to negotiate new contracts between security firms and government should begin work on contracts with the effective date April 1, 2023.

Taking security companies to court to seek benefits after years of service will take time and money that a lot of security guards don’t have, so I recommend that the task force, when established, set up a fund for security guards who have been working for decades prior to March 31. The payout from the fund should be as follows:

*Guards working up to five years would get $500,000

*Guards working up to 10 years would get $1 million

*Guards working up to 20 years would get $2 million

*Guards working up to 30 years would get $3 million

*Guards working up to 40 years would get $4 million

This fund would exist for two years and all security guards working for over five years would get their money. The private security industry comprises approximately 27,000 Private Security Regulation Authority(PSRA) registered security guards. Therefore, every security guard could contribute $3,000 per month and the employers contribute $6,000 per security guard per month to the fund. Based on those figures, the fund would accumulate $6.3 billion in two years.

Government could contribute the same portion of the money because they too benefited from the services of security guards over the years.

After the two years, the JIC or PSRA should introduce a pension scheme for security guards. I hope the stakeholders sit down and plan a strategy to fix this issue. We shouldn’t have security guards working for decades as contractors but can’t officially receive benefits as employees.

Teddylee Gray

President, Jamaica Association for Private Security (JAPS)

Ocho Rios, St Ann

teddylee.gray@gmail.com