Streamline private security industry to ensure job satisfaction

Mar 27, 2015

The New Vision story of March 23, 2015 titled “Security guards turn to sports betting for survival” would make one wonder if with the so many players.



By Kiapi K. Frederick

The New Vision story of March 23, 2015 titled “Security guards turn to sports betting for survival” would make one wonder if with the so many players and the thriving industry there is still so many challenges faced.

To be honest, the answer is true and it all hinges on the lack of a streamlined industry that is in the hands of private individual some with background to security matters other just in the trade to make profit and capitalise on the hundreds of job seekers whom many view becoming a security guard as a means to make ends meet.

In Uganda the private security organisations presumed to be regulated by the Uganda Police force and the labour ministry have recruited thousands of youth and many are not well paid due to lack of guiding principles.

Let us not blame these fellows it all starts with the terms and service of employment they agreed upon with their employment agency. With the tow many unregulated PSOs across the country. It is expected that you either take the pay or be unemployed.

The onus is to the line MDAs that is, the Uganda Police Force and the labour ministry to come out with proper guidelines about this industry otherwise the personnel will resort to anything from betting, begging, robbery and any other vice for survival.

In addition, the security guards have to organise themselves to form labour unions as it is a right under the 1995 Uganda Constitution for them to voice their demands for better working conditions including the establishment of SACCOs to make them save and borrow money for investment than resorting to gambling away their meager salaries each month in the hope of doubling it or winning millions.

Needless to say, the owners of the PSOs too should be tasked to initiate investment clubs within their industry to facilitate their employees to learn how to save and invest in small business through periodic trainings than focusing on military skills in which case, if the job is terminated the guard will become hopeless in life and adopt to betting to meet his basic needs in life.

Society as the article states “They have been branded a nuisance by sections of people at some of the installations they guard.” This is not because they want to be but the working conditions make them resort to such to survive.

Its only the industry regulators that can help in addressing the ever increasing challenges of this trade otherwise thousands of young men and women will continue to see gambling as a means to meet their demands as they wait for the monthly salary attached to so many home and family needs including debts.

The writer is the executive director of the Commonwealth Association-Uganda

 

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