Are security guard companies above the law?

THE EDITOR, Sir:

An implication of the September 2022 Justice David Batts ruling was that by law of Jamaica, security guards should be working a 40-hour week and not 60 hours a week. Which security company has since implemented the 40-hour a week law? It appears that security companies that should uphold law and order are violating the law of Jamaica. When powerful and wealthy people break the law, isn’t that lawlessness too? Can security companies claim that they need more time to obey the law? Who gave them this amnesty, or did they take this amnesty to determine when they will obey the law? A wat a gwaan in Jamdown?

The poor treatment of security guards is not new. Ten years ago, Donald Williams, founder of Allied Protection security company and member of the Boulevard Baptist Church, claimed publicly in front of government officials at his company’s 30th anniversary that some security guards were paid below the minimum wage; denied laundry and firearm licence; denied sick and vacation leave and some guards had to pay rental fees to use batons and whistles. In addition, in a March 22, 2012 Gleaner article – titled Securing security guards – I wrote, ‘an industrial lawyer states that it is illegal to classify security guards as contract workers and deny them the benefits on those grounds’. A long time security guards getting the short end of the baton.

Security guard companies need to obey the law NOW concerning the 40-hour week and make their portion of the statutory payments so that the overworked and underpaid security guards can receive a pension, benefit from housing possibilities and enjoy family life.

DEVON DICK