Anything Left For Earning An Honest Living?

I did not believe Kak Asmah when she said, her husband has to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to bring home RM1,000.

Even then, one thousand is not sufficient for the family of 6 with the forever rising cost of basic necessities. She supplemented the security guard's salary with looking after neighbours' children and sewing at home.

But my ex-neighbour, the husband, once a security guard with a bank, agree with the statement, and with a black chapter in the course of his job.

After clocking out on that particular payday few years ago, he withdrew his salary but the amount turned his face, pale - Balance RM2.00.
He checked with the bank that he guarded and it was confirmed his salary of RM600 per month had been withdrawn just hours earlier. There's NO OTHER WAYS to check the culprit although it was rumoured that it was an insider's job.

Although this happened a few years ago and he is now a taxi-driver, but looking back how the family went through the horror and harrowing period, it is still clear in my mind.
His experience shuddered me seeing another security guard, who used to pass by my house when he was staying nearby then, on his way to work riding his motorbike, with an arm slinging on his right shoulder.

Often I told My Husband, should... one fine day, he is being pushed while riding his motorbike and the bad intention culprit take away the loaded arm from him, I cannot imagine what the next episode will unfold.
For the meagre salary of less than RM1,000 salary per month, I always ask myself if his life worth risking while travelling on the main road with the arm, slinging on his shoulder, attracting the eyes many road users.

As I read what had been by The Star for the past 2 days, I can only sigh, knowingly that it is not going to be any time sooner when?????? the effort of all security guards guarding premises will be acknowledged and justly salaried.

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The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) is against the Government's postponement of the minimum new salary scheme of an estimated 150,000 security guards nationwide salary which was supposed to be effective July.

The increase of 67% to 75% from their current salaries will see them getting the take-home pay of between RM1,100 and RM1,450 a month, including overtime pay and allowances.
On April 22, the ministry announced it would implement the Wage Regulations Order (Le­­gal Minimum Wages for Private Security Guards) 2010 from July 1, despite calls from the industry to allow the companies concerned to prepare for it.

On Sunday, June 13, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subrama­niam announced that the Cabinet had decided to delay the implementation of the minimum wage increase following a request by Malaysian Security Services Association (SSAM), but no time frame was given.
The scheme is temporarily shelved. The association needed more time to update and streamline their operations. The new salaries would have implications on existing contracts. The association feels that its implementation by next month will have an adverse effect on such businesses. The requested delay will allow the companies involved to update their operations and be better prepared for it.
It did not state when the pay increase would be implemented but it was reported last month that the association had asked the Government to delay its implementation by two months.

The Govern­ment’s announcement to delay the raise in the minimum wage has sparked a blame game between stakeholders in the provision of private security services.

The Security Guards Union (SGU) is blaming the Malaysian Security Services Association (SSAM) for requesting the Govern­ment to delay the July 1 implementation date of the salary rise.
SGU acting secretary-general M. Gnanasegaran said the SSAM should set a deadline for the pay rise to take place because it had been delayed several times.

“Most guards work 12 hours a day, 26 days a month. They need the salary increase for their family’s survival,” he said.
He added that some guards were not getting basic benefits such as insurance and overtime.

The SSAM on the other hand is blaming the Government, saying they could not increase salaries unless the value of their government contracts was increased; failing which they risked closing shop as more than 70% of its 400 members relied on government contracts.

SSAM president Datuk Shaheen Mirza Habib said: “We are not against the salary increase, but want it to be done simultaneously and together with the increase in contract value.”
“How are we going to pay the guards if the salaries are increased but the contract value is not?”

The annual general meeting on July 26 will discuss setting new contract rates at possibly around RM7 to RM7.50 per hour from the current contract rate at about RM4 to RM5 per hour, of which 60% to 65% goes to the guards. Their profit margin is 6% to 7%.

He disclosed that security guards earned a basic salary of between RM300 and RM500, but took home between RM800 and RM1,000.and the remainder covers administrative costs.

The Human Resource Minister, having spent 7 years studying all the views and recommendation before announcing his decision to implement a minimum wage, should not make a U-turn to allow employers to continue to exploit their workers with a meager wage of RM300 to RM400 a month, as was said by the MTUC secretary-general G.Rajasekaran said in a statement on Monday.

With all dilly-dallying and ding-donging, must the public pay for the already toooooo long delay?

Tuesday June 15, 2010

Off-duty guard turns snatch thief

KOTA KINABALU: An off-duty security guard became a snatch thief when he grabbed RM1,000 from a woman minutes after she withdrew the money from an automated teller machine.
However, three policemen on beat duty nabbed the 29-year-old guard after the woman screamed for help.
Penampang district police chief Deputy Supt Madang Usat said the 37-year-woman had just walked away from the ATM at about 3.30pm yesterday when the guard approached the victim from behind, snatching the money. He fled towards a nearby funfair.
“My men detained him after a 200m chase an d recovered the money,” he said.
He added that they were also checking to see if the suspect was involved in other snatch theft incidents. — Bernama