A number of security guards in regions Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne) areas, who voiced their concerns over nonpayment of their salaries, were promised that they would soon receive payment.
The Integrated Security Service had recently taken over from Home Safe Security Services the provision of security services to Government buildings in the two regions. In January, its workers began complaining about not receiving their salaries. In a bid to have their plight heard, the upset workers staged a protest outside of the company’s New Amsterdam office, demanding the monies that are owed to them.
“No money no wuk! Rent to pay, light bill to pay, Courts to pay, Singers to pay, bank to pay. We want we money now!” were among the chants being echoed at Saturday’s demonstration.
The frustrated workers showcase placards outside of the Integrated Security office in New Amsterdam
The workers were also equipped with placards stating, ‘Integrated must go’, ‘People children hungry’, and ‘Where he come from? He was nowhere in the bid’.
While some of the workers declared that they have not received any payment since the security service was given the contract late last year, others mentioned that, so far, they have received only one payment of $16,000, which is the fortnightly sum.
“The minister (Labour Minister) come till here in New Amsterdam and meet him and tell him to give us $265 (per hour); but, instead, he giving people $16,000 for the month or in a fortnight. I only get pay one time, so I ain’t know if is for the whole month,” one worker stated.
Another worker explained her current financial situation, which she said is in due to the nonpayment. “I owe rent for December and January, and the landlord keep calling me. I have a loan to pay at Republic Bank, and they keep calling me all the time. I can’t get no money, when ah come they say my name is not listed.”
Another problem the guards highlighted is that they were told that their names are not listed for payment. “I was here until ten past nine on Thursday night, and they say my name is not listed. How long you gon keep hiding from the landlord and the bank? I don’t have nothing in the house to eat, I had to borrow passage to come here,” a woman said in tears.
According to the guards, only a handful of them were given full payment for the month of December; the majority of workers were given part-payment. They are still owed for work performed in January and February.
On Friday, some of the workers were paid at the New Amsterdam office. However, most of the guards were told they would be paid on Saturday. When they arrived at the office on Saturday, it was locked.
Blame for the payment fiasco has reportedly fallen on the supervisors. The company has said they are the ones at fault for submitting ‘ghost names’, incorrect calculations, and omissions. This has allegedly resulted in the company delaying payment, and doing so late, ever since being given the contract, from December 1, 2017.
The supervisory staff has refuted those claims, stating that they were in the same supervisory positions when they were working under the previous company, which had a similar contract; and no allegations of this sort were ever made.
Adding to their woes, workers have allegedly been forbidden from speaking with the media about the ill treatment they are receiving.
The Region Six Administration have since distanced itself from the issue, stating that it had already fully paid the security company for services rendered.
In a telephone interview with Guyana Times on Saturday, the company gave assurance that it would remunerate its guards. Ms Cromwell (only name given), the administrative assistant of the company, stated: “The workers would be paid by tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon.”
Ms Cromwell said she was unable to say why there was a backlog of payment, but she assured that the company was working to resolve the issue.
The security service, contracted to provide services for RDC offices, schools, health centres and other Government offices, had told workers that they would be paid by the second Friday in each month, but that promise has not been kept for the past three months.
In a previous publication, Guyana Times reported on picket action the workers had taken earlier this year. The workers noted that they had worked many hours and had received nothing, leaving them unable to pay bills and take care of their children.
“We are asking the President to look into this, because we are suffering and have our children to send to school. We don’t have salt; we don’t have rice, flour, sugar; no kero in the stove. How they expect we to live? We don’t know how (the Regional Administration) gon give (this contract to) a person who don’t have a conscience. When you talk, he penalizes you”, one of the workers explained at Saturday’s demonstration.
