Region 6 Chairman calls out security companies for late payment of workers

Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Chairman David Armogan has expressed concern about the untimely payment of employees by security companies.
Armogan made mention that the workers of a security company which provides services for Government buildings were not being paid for their services. This particular company, he said, is the largest security service provider in Region Six as well as Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

The company provides security services for Government facilities including schools, health centres, and hospitals.
However, he noted that sadly, many of its guards have gone months without receiving their salaries.
In fact, according to the Regional Chairman, many of them are not paid overtime for the long hours they work.
“Sometimes two to three months after people are not being paid for work done, and these people are working 12-hour shifts and they work very hard. Some of them work from 6 pm until 6 am. To be doing that for two or three months without being paid, it means that your utilities will be disconnected,” the Chairman said.
Scores of guards connected to this particular service have reported to <<<Guyana Times>>> that their telephone, Internet, water and all other essential services are affected by late salaries.
“GWI doesn’t wait until you get paid to give you your water supply. GPL doesn’t wait on you to give you electricity. So, what you find too is that all these poor people who are doing this type of work; they get disconnected and they have to also pay a reconnection. So, it is additional hardship on these people,” Armogan said.
The Regional Chairman noted that the Government was in the process of accepting bids for security companies to take over the job. However, there is no guarantee that the same company will not win the tender.
“These security companies; the one that is presently involved and those that may be coming, they would have to understand that people will have to be paid on time. So, they must have some kind of fund available. You should not be coming in broke and then hope that when the Government would pay you, you [pay] the workers. They should have one month lay money so that if the Government pays you one week late, you would still have money in the system,” he said.
Many of the workers attached to the said security company and even others claim that National Insurance Scheme (NIS) contributions were being deducted from their wages and salaries, but were not being paid over to the NIS.
“All of those things are being looked at the moment. The Ministry of Labour which was discontinued by the last Government has now been put back into position under this new Government, because we recognise the importance of labour to this economy and the protection of workers’ rights in this country. That is why this Government has taken that decision to ensure that the Ministry of Labour has been put there to ensure that the workers’ rights are being protected at all levels,” the Chairman pointed out. (G4)