KINGSTON, Jamaica — Diplomatic security officers employed by Hawkeye Electronic Security Company Limited, who are assigned to the British High Commission, are now staging a protest at the company’s Belmont Road office for better wages.

General Secretary of the Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) John Levy told Observer Online that the workers are frustrated with the long negotiation process and urged the security company to come forward with a reasonable wage that the workers can accept.

“So the workers, the diplomatic security team from the Hawkeye organisation that is assigned to the British High Commission, those workers who are off duty, have come forward today to express their disgust and their frustration with the long negotiating process that has been going on. Going over a year almost now, and still they can’t reach any progress with the company. While the times are getting harder, the workers are suffering. They have decided to come out and to say to the management, pull your socks off, come forward with something reasonable that the workers can accept to take care of themselves and their families, and do what they have to do,” Levy said.

He stressed that the security officers are well-trained and productive, and therefore management needs to come forward with an offer that can meet their economic challenges.

“These are [a] productive, well-trained group of diplomatic security guards. It’s not a run-of-mill security arrangement. Well-trained both on sea and land, underwater, all kind of training they go through and we are saying to the management that they need to come forward with an offer that can take care of the economic challenges. And the workers backed by the union are in full support of what we have done today while the service continues but we don’t know what tomorrow might bring,” Levy said.

(Video: Naphtali Junior)