THE MINISTRY of Labour and Social Security says it will be tightening its regulation of the island's security companies, many of which have been accused of victimising security guards, including paying them below the minimum wage.
Minister of Labour, Horace Dalley, signalled Government's intention on the weekend following last week's refusal by security firms to buy into the proposed joint council for industrial security.
Mr. Dalley warned that in the absence of the council, "the Ministry will make every effort to protect industrial security guards".
He has ordered regular inspections of security companies and where breaches of the security guards' rights are found, companies will be asked to make the necessary corrections, the release added.
Many of the island's 14,000 security guards are reportedly being paid less than the $70.70 per hour minimum rate and are denied the right to join a trade union, even though legislation has been passed categorising them as workers and not contractors.
However, the proposed security council, which was aimed at giving some protection to the security guards has been torpedoed by the security firms.
At a meeting last Thursday, representatives of security firms argued that they could not sign off on a constitution for the security council because the industrial security climate was too volatile.
The council, which would determine salary and benefits for security guards would include representatives of the trade union movement and the security companies. The council was abandoned in 1986 but union leaders have been pushing for its reintroduction.
Meanwhile, Vincent Morrison, island supervisor for the National Workers' Union (NWU), told The Gleaner yesterday that the NWU met with a number of security guards yesterday and has decided to serve a representational rights claim on the companies to which those guards belong.
George Overton, president of the Jamaica Society for Industrial Security (JSIS), has in the past acknowledged that some security firms abuse the rights of security guards. However, he has argued that these are usually unlicensed companies.
