Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

Security guards an exploited lot

HYDERABAD: When the man in blue did not smile at you while opening glass door at a jewellery shop, do not think him uncourteous. He might be hungry, or suffering from an illness or anxious about his salary.

Private security guards, who appear ubiquitous at ultra-posh malls and swank showrooms are one of the most exploited sections of the city. About 60 per cent of the salary and over duty allowances (given by the hiring firms) are drawn by the security agencies and no work benefits whatsoever extended to them, except on paper.

“I have started my job 10 years ago with a salary of Rs, 1,800 and still I get only Rs. 2,800,” says A.Venkateswarlu. A former employee of a small firm, said his agency draws Rs. 7,000 in his name every month. “There are no weekly offs or leaves, I can get money only for the duty hours that I attend,” he grumbles. Most of the agencies slag the guards for 12 hours a day and there is no incentive for once experience. At many places, they could not even have potable water or a bath room. Despite the dismal pay, the guards have to be multi-taskers and take full responsibility of the guarding facility. “In case of any theft, the company would deduct the amount from our salaries,” informed Mr. Venkateswarlu.

“The agencies inflate the value of lost objects so that they can subtract more,” said K. Jacob, a retired clerk who is working as a security supervisor. He gets half of the amount, Rs. 5,000, from the salary his company pays to the agency. And this is not the end of it.

Most of the companies collect minimum Rs. 1,000 for a pair of uniform at the beginning of the job, which obviously does not cost that much. “When the agency wants to remove, they starve the employees by denying the payment of salaries. Once he quits, they would appropriate his ESI, PF benefits,” narrated Mr. Jacob.

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