School guards to stay off the job

Parents, if you notice that there is no security guard at your child’s school today, it may be because he or she has not been paid for the past four months, and decided not to come to work.

Security guards looking after primary schools are threatening to withhold their services unless they receive payments owed to them since May this year.

Steve Walters, of the Associated Security Companies of TT, told Newsday that, despite his best efforts he cannot guarantee that security guards at primary schools would be taking up duty from today.

Walters said they had previously threatened not to work, but were told last Friday they would receive cheques yesterday.

Up to press time, they had not received those cheques.

Walters, in a conversation with Newsday Tuesday, said, “All we are getting is delay tactics from the Ministry of Education. The security guards are frustrated.

“We cannot go on for all these months without receiving our money. We cannot continue to provide these services unless we are paid.”

Walters also told Newsday the guards have not been paid properly since 2010. Newsday was told their contracts indicated that security guards are entitled to a raise every time the minimum wage is raised, but, no increase had been given since 2010. Only one company has received the additional compensation since the minimum wage was raised.