MANAGING director of security company KingAlarm John Azar is assuring that its operations have not been impacted by the small group of armed response officers who protested just outside the gates of the company’s Caledonia Road head office in St Andrew on Monday morning.

The group of about 10 officers had gathered to air their grouses about salary, overtime, work environment, and alleged victimisation from management.

Azar said the “unfortunate, and perhaps misguided public actions of a handful of staff” would not be allowed to interfere with the company’s vital day-to-day operations.

“Our operations at this time remain totally unaffected and we have, in fact, added additional armed response teams on the road today to mitigate against any possible increased risk to our clients that this unfortunate public action may inadvertently cause,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Pointing out that there are more than 5,000 full-time employees at KingAlarm, Azar said “while every voice is important, and while the concerns of every single member of staff is important to me, it is important to place the concerns of approximately 10 staff members in their proper context”.

On the complaint by the response officers that they are being asked to do cash-in-transit assignments in ‘soft skin’ vehicles which, they claim, is outside of their job description, Azar said he was not at liberty to discuss certain operational matters pertaining to the company’s cash-in-transit services as the safety and security of its cash-in-transit teams is vital.

“That said, rest assured that nothing being asked of any of our armed response personnel is contrary to their employment contracts. The safety of all of our officers is of paramount importance, and the requisite safety equipment — to include suitable vehicles for the assignments being undertaken — is always provided,” he said.

One officer had told the Observer that they were being overworked and forced to do courier service.

“Two personnel pick up money and we are being paid as response officers, not couriers. We’re not insured to pick up money, the vehicle we are driving [is] not insured to pick up money also, and when we do not, they send us home without pay,” he alleged.

Regarding the officers’ grouse about inadequate pay and some employees being given a raise while others weren’t, Azar pointed out that all armed response personnel are paid significantly above minimum wage.

“There was, therefore, no Government mandate for their salaries to be increased at this time. That said, we took the decision that the vast majority of our armed response personnel were in fact deserving of a salary review, based on their exceptional performance. As per recent meetings held, persons in the department received salary increases of between 10 and 20 per cent [with a few receiving in excess of 30 per cent] which took effect as at June 1,” he said.

“These increases were all performance-based. The tiny majority who may have received no increase whatsoever are already paid well above minimum wage, and they would certainly know the issues that exist with their individual performances as our management team has met with them, both collectively and individually. We will again endeavour to meet with these individuals to remind them of the company’s standards and where improvements in their individual performances may be warranted prior to their individual salaries being likewise reviewed, as was recently done with the vast majority of their colleagues,” he added.

In response to accusations that some officers are unfairly treated if they speak out about their concerns or fail to comply with a directive, Azar said that any disciplinary action taken by the company would be fully in keeping with the labour laws.

“Our customers rightly hold us to the highest standards and so, too, do we hold our staff — especially in this critical department — to those standards as well. The nature of what we do demands no less. Persons wishing to flout the standing orders of the company and, on top of it, to be rewarded for having done so will be reminded that this is not how we operate,” he said.

Responding to the protestors’ request for a meeting with him to iron out their issues Azar said he is always accessible to staff and has met with this particular department as recently as last week. He noted, however, that at times people may not hear in meetings what they wish to hear.

“Again, the individuals in question represent a tiny fraction of our workforce; and I am informed that one of the most vocal persons who was protesting today may not even be in our employ. As I am off the island currently, members of our senior management team offered to meet with these individuals today, on my directive, but they flatly refused, leading me to wonder what their true objective is. Regardless of this, I am scheduled to meet with the entire armed response department on my return to the island, and those plans certainly will not change,” he said.

Also responding to the allegations, Senior Operations Manager Delano Virgo said the company was surprised by Monday morning’s protest.

Virgo noted that the protestors were invited to a meeting on Monday to address their concerns, but they declined the invitation.

However, the officers denied that they refused to meet with officials.

“They called us to come to a meeting, we say: ‘No, we’re not coming to a meeting. We’re protesting today so a meeting would be later, not today. We are protesting for what had happened… We are free to meet with you after today but today is protesting.’ We’re not refusing a meeting,” one officer said.