Higher minimum wage for guards

SECURITY guards can look forward to a pay hike in June after a new agreement on wages was signed yesterday at the head office of the Ministry of Labour.

A signing ceremony scheduled for 10h00 only took place at around noon, as disagreement continued between employers’ and workers’ representatives up to the last minute. The Namibia Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Natau) and the Namibia Security Guards and Watchmen’s Union (Nasgwu) had to lower initial hopes for around N$7 per hour and settle for a N$3.80 hourly minimum wage for entry-level security guards.This amount still did not please the employers’ representatives, who said they feared it was too high and may cause them to lose clients.’It is so that we must look at increases from time to time. This time around the increases were a bit harsh on the companies,’ Security Association of Namibia (SAN) president Dries Kannemeyer remarked during the ceremony. The current minimum wage for security guards at entry level stands at N$3 an hour.According to the new agreement, the minimum wage at entry level now stands at N$3.80 per hour, with a shift bonus of N$4. Added to the agreement signed yesterday, employers will be responsible for providing uniforms to newly appointed guards, who have to pay a deposit to cover the cost of the uniform.This deposit is to be refunded to the guard upon the termination of his or her services and upon the return of the uniform to the company. Employers will be responsible for replacing the uniform of each employee as needed, at the company’s cost. The implementation date of the new agreement is June 1 and it will remain valid until December 31 2011.The agreement will now go to the Ministry of Justice, where it will be gazetted.The new wages are to be implemented regardless of whether a company is registered with either of the two employers’ associations or whether or not workers are registered with a labour union. ‘Imagine a guard responsible for a daily amount of N$50 000 which he is to transport, and then having that guard make less than N$1 000 per month. Let’s treat people with the honour they deserve and then one can expect service,’ Natau General Secretary John Kwedhi said before the signing.