Security companies should negotiate new rates with clients
Published:Saturday | October 15, 2022 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
According to the Private Security Regulation Authority (PSRA) website, there are approximately 25,000 licensed security guards and 300 private security firms registered. According to the current data on the PSRA website, ony 15 out of the 300 firms employ over 200 security guards.
Currently, over five companies employ over 1,000 guards and they make up 52 per cent (approximately 13,000 guards) of the private security sector. Guardsman Ltd and Marksman Ltd account for nearly 6,000 guards, Hawkeye accounts for 3,200 guards, Kingalarm accounts for 2,800 guards, and Quest accounts for little over 1,000 guards. These companies can come together and renegotiate the fees charged with their clients. They also need to lobby the PSRA to take strict action against illegal firms and firms that pay their security guards below the minimum wage. I am all for having an open market but a country like Jamaica having 300 registered firms plus illegal ones doesn’t make sense. I believe having 30 firms instead of 300 is better for the industry .
Some firms can’t use scare tactics and say that the sector is about to collapse if guards are treated and paid fairly. Using the current minimum wage for 12 hours, let us say an average guard completes 120 hours fortnightly, and use the PSRA 25,000 personnel number, that means approximately $1 billion is used to pay wages fortnightly. This is a high-worth industry and therefore very crucial for Jamaica’s economy.
TEDDYLEE GRAY
Ocho Rios, St Ann