Former employees of the Premium Security Services on Wednesday protested outside CLICO (Guyana’s) Camp Street headquarters over non-payments of benefits owed to them, following termination of their service earlier this year.
The firm had provided security services at all CLICO offices across the country up to March.
The former guards were accompanied by officials from the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC). Acting General Secretary of the GTUC Norris Witter was present and he promised to intensify the struggle if the workers were not paid within 72 hours. He said that this would take the form of more protests and formal complaints to international labour bodies.
Witter said that the workers had come to the union seeking help and said that consequently this protest action was launched. He said that the manner in which the guards had their services terminated was “illegal”. According to him, “the law clearly stipulates than whenever an employer is contemplating terminating services they must notify the Ministry of Labour. He said that the Labour Ministry was never contacted before the guards had their services terminated.
He said that on April 7, most of the guards were given letters of termination, which were made retroactive to March 24, 2009. He said that the guards were protesting because they were yet to receive several benefits including their severance pay, their salaries for the month of March and also their overtime wages for the month of February and March. Witter opined that these persons were being made to suffer while those in management were still receiving lofty salaries. He opined that this was “criminal”.
When Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir was contacted for comment on the matter, he described the situation as a “ticklish one”. He said that the guards were in fact contracted workers of Premium Security Services and consequently that Service had a duty to pay their workers. He said that the fact that CLICO had not paid Premium Security Services as yet would be a matter to be taken to the Judicial Manager – whose functions have now been transferred to the Bank of Guyana – for resolution and not his Ministry.
Meanwhile, the workers themselves were very vocal and said that they needed their money. They vowed to continue their protest until they get their money. We were always paid by CLICO, one woman said. “Our master cheque used to come from CLICO”, another said.
Shondell Burke, a former employee, said that the guards were unfairly treated. She said that in March, following the disclosure of the financial woes of the company, the guards agreed to take lower salaries and decided to accept $35,000 instead of the usual $40,000. Weeks later, she said, they were abruptly told that their services were not needed. Their services were then replaced by guards from RK Security Service. And according to her over 150 guards from the Premium Security Services have been affected by CLICO’s decision.
Burke said that since then efforts to get their pay have been futile. “I’m a single parent, I need the money, I have bills to pay”, she emphasised.
Another former employee Owen Young asked whether the US$18 million dollars that President Bharrat Jagdeo recently said would be coming from the Petroleum Fund to assist with the financial woes of CLICO would be used to pay them.
In March, the order for the termination of these services was given by the Judicial Manager of the company Maria van Beek. In a letter addressed to John Sandy of Premium Security Services and signed by van Beek, Sandy was asked to immediately surrender all assets (including keys) of CLICO (Guyana) in the possession of the guard service to Administrative Manager Dinanauth Deodat, who had been authorized to uplift these items on the Judicial Manager’s behalf.
While it was described as another cost-cutting initiative by the company, reliable sources told this newspaper that the decision to terminate the services of the Premium Security Guard Service was also due to dissatisfaction with the company’s performance.