Keeping their guard up: Gun in hand but nothing in pocket

Private security guards at high-end shops work in miserable conditions

LAHORE: Security guards of various local shops, restaurants and banks are gravely concerned over working conditions in their jobs. Employers are unable to provide decent facilities or salaries for these individuals who risk their lives in case of an emergency.

However, the guards are forced to stick to their jobs due to the saturated market and economic woes. The situation gets even worse in the sweltering Lahore summer, especially if Ramazan falls into that time of year.

Abdul Kareem, in his mid-twenties, represents a community of uniformed men who quietly guard high-end retail outlets and restaurants on MM Alam road. He, like many other security guards, has been hired through a company which lends its services to shopping malls, clothing stores and banks.

Kareem has been working as a guard for the last six months and earns Rs12,000 per month for a 12-hour-long shift.

Kareem finds that performing his duty outdoors in the blistering heat is one of the most challenging parts of his job. “Our colleagues have found ways to cope with this heat by switching shifts from the day to the night and vice versa on a regular basis,” he added. “Of course, it is not as easy as it looks, I took this job only because of my economic constraints,” he said.

Kareem doesn’t see his job condition getting any better as there are no facilities or even a salary increase on the horizon.

“I am not expecting any bonus for Eid even though the company is supposed to offer such incentives on special occasions such as Ramazan and Eid. However, our supervisors keep the money in their own accounts,” he said.

Muhammad Yousaf belongs to Muzaffargarh and his house gets inundated by floods almost every year. Given his pressing economic situation, he is bound to work as a guard at a bank in Lahore.

Yousaf says that he began working as a security guard 14 years ago and was paid just Rs4,000 initially. “Currently I am able to make Rs11,000 per month which is not enough to support my family. However, the the job market has gotten so tough and saturated that there are men willing to work for less than Rs8,000,” he said.

Yousaf has signed up for a double shift to make ends meet. He works as security guard for a bank during the day and for a branded clothing store at night. “I don’t expect to get more facilities on behalf of the company I am working in; however, sometimes customers do help us monetarily,” he said.

Yousaf says security companies are reluctant to provide their employees with fans and charpoys during the night shift, even in the summers.

Another security guard named Mansoor Hussain also complained about his broken pedestal fan and the fact that his employer provides warm drinking water provided. “I have been hoping for a raise in my salary for the last six months and I have decided look out for other jobs if I don’t get it this month,” he said.

In this context, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Report (HRCP) of 2016 concluded that the minimum wages for unskilled workers are not enough to guarantee a decent living for the average family. The report suggested that a minimum wage enforcement mechanism should be evolved and non-payment of this minimum wage should be declared a criminal offence.

According to the report, there is a need to develop a labour framework based on constitutional rights, national legislation and international standards. It stated that a statutory or constitutional mechanism must be put in place to ensure that provincial laws adhere to it. The report also concluded that occupation safety and health laws must be given priority and harmonised across provinces.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2017.