New push to give security guards a big pay hike

NTUC's proposal is part of scheme to raise income of low-wage workers
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 4 Aug 2014

SECURITY guards can expect a big pay bump if a plan by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to raise their basic monthly wages by $300 receives the green light from employers.

The Straits Times understands that NTUC representatives met security firms two weeks ago and tabled a new wage ladder.

The proposal includes raising the minimum basic monthly pay for guards to $1,100 per month - a substantial increase from the current $817 stated in the last Manpower Ministry salary data report released in June.

If the new minimum wage is pushed through, security guards can earn about $2,100 each month with overtime, up from just $1,678 now, say industry players.

Security guards typically work 12 hours each day, six days a week. The bulk of their pay comes from overtime work.

There are about 70,000 licensed security guards in Singapore. But the low basic pay and long hours have kept about 30,000 of them away from work, adding to the manpower crunch in the sector.

The NTUC confirmed that a committee of unionists, employers and government officials have indeed met security agencies but declined to elaborate further.

NTUC assistant secretary-general Zainal Sapari, who is also a member of the NTUC-led security tripartite cluster, said while the wage ladder is under discussion, "no decision has been made".

The latest push comes nearly a year after a similar move by NTUC to raise the pay of security guards in September last year was rebuffed by the Security Association of Singapore, mainly due to concerns of rising wage costs.

Industry insiders, however, believe that unlike last year, this renewed push has the backing of the Government.

In January, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced the Government will implement a "progressive wage model" in the security industry, after a wage ladder kicks in for the cleaning sector next month, which sets the basic monthly pay of cleaners at $1,000.

Apart from those in the cleaning sector and security industry, the Government has also targeted workers in the landscape sector for pay hikes as part of a broad push to raise the income of low-wage workers.

Under the wage ladder drawn up by the NTUC, security guards can be trained to become senior security supervisors in six years, earning a basic pay of $1,700 a month, up from $1,100.

The latest move drew support from industry players like Mr Robert Wiener, president of the Association of Certified Security Agencies. He said the latest NTUC proposal is something the association can "reasonably support". "But the industry will need time to adjust, over a couple of years."

Security Association of Singapore president T. Mogan, however, said firms are still facing cost pressures. "At the end of the day, we are running businesses and we are worried about costs like Central Provident Fund rates and foreign worker levies, both of which are also going up," he said.

At least one security guard The Straits Times spoke to, however, felt the pay rise was long overdue.

"At $1,100 a month, it is only a bit higher than the $1,000 basic pay that cleaners are already getting," said 59-year old Edmund Chua, a guard of more than 10 years. "This shows how little we value the work of security officers."

* Wage plan for security guards by Oct
Pay may rise by at least $300, but firms say they need time to adjust
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 27 Aug 2014

SECURITY guards can look forward to a possible increase of at least $300 in basic monthly pay from as early as October.

That is when a committee of government officials, union leaders and security firms is expected to draw up a wage ladder for guards after completing a review of salaries and working conditions in the sector.

Once the wage ladder is ready, the Government will make it a compulsory part of licensing conditions for security companies, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Zainal Sapari told a union event yesterday.

He warned security firms: "If you do not pay your security officers salary based on the progressive wage model, then your licence won't be renewed."

Mr Zainal, who is also a member of the NTUC-led committee and an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, declined to give details of the wage ladder, saying: "It is still not finalised."

But he confirmed that the committee is looking at raising the basic monthly pay of guards from $800 to $1,100, a figure first reported by The Straits Times three weeks ago.

The higher minimum monthly wage will raise the salary of guards to more than $2,000 a month with overtime, up from about $1,600 now. The bulk of guards' pay comes from overtime work. They typically work 12 hours a day for six days a week.

The latest push comes nearly a year after a similar move by NTUC to raise the pay of security guards was rebuffed by the Security Association of Singapore (SAS) - mainly due to concerns about rising wage costs.

There are about 70,000 licensed security guards in Singapore. But the low basic pay and long hours have kept about 30,000 of them away from work, adding to the manpower crunch in the sector. Besides raising basic salary, Mr Zainal said the committee is also looking into cutting overtime work and attracting mid-career workers to switch to the sector.

The Association of Certified Security Agencies backed the NTUC's move, but said that firms will need time to adjust to the new wage ladder.

"We need at least two years," said association vice-president Weers Terry, who is the operations director at security firm P&P Security Services.

SAS president T. Mogan was resigned to the changes, saying: "Firms have to weigh (the changes) and adjust their costs accordingly."

Mr Gary Haris, senior business development director of KH Security Agency, said the new model could see labour costs go up by as much as 30 per cent, adding: "It still depends on whether clients are willing to pay more for security services."

Security guard Ng Chye Hock, 66, who earns less than $1,600 a month now, said: "Having a few hundred dollars more will make my finances less tight. I hope it comes soon."

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