From 1 September 2016, security agencies in Singapore must ensure that their officers receive the required training and are paid wages that are in line or higher than the progressive wage levels specified in the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the industry.
NTUC This Week: What has the response been so far from security agencies to the new licensing conditions come 1 September?
Hareenderpal Singh: I don’t see an issue with implementing the PWM for the security industry because it is a licensing condition. Agencies which do not follow the PWM will not have their licences renewed as this is now part of the licensing condition. USE will be bringing it to the attention of the Police Licensing Unit and the Manpower Ministry when we come across such cases. My concern is for officers who are holding a higher rank. If they don’t go for the skills upgrading, they will be demoted. For example, a security supervisor today, if he doesn’t complete the additional two licensing conditions, he may be demoted to a senior officer or even an officer. This is our challenge, and we have been asking our members to go for training to avoid such a situation. But the majority of workers in our industry are mature workers… and getting them back to the classroom is a challenge.
How has the union been handling these challenges?
Hareenderpal: Since the announcement of the PWM in 2014, we have been communicating the new licensing conditions not only to the branch officials but also the unionised companies to make sure the workers don’t lose out. Those companies which are serious in the business, they have processes into place. Those who are not so serious, they have a ’wait and see’ approach. In time to come, they will end up losing their license. So ultimately, we do not want those undesirable companies to stay in the industry. We want the workers to be with the good employers.
What sort of feedback mechanisms does USE have to hear the views from the ground?
Hareenderpal: We go through the branch officials, and we have a dialogue session every quarter. We are getting more branch officials involved in the decision making process. We want the branch officials and members to have ownership of the union. After all, the union exists to serve them. We have increased our communications channels. We have set up the Customer Service Centre. Previously it was just a small space within the Waterloo Street area.
What are the issues expected to come up during USE’s General Delegates Conference in July?
Hareenderpal: Moving forward, the union’s leadership for the next four years will be discussed. We will also be pushing for the PWM to be implemented in companies who have yet to do so and also urge them to develop career paths of advancement for workers in the security industry. We also want our members to get good increments. This year’s National Wages Council has actually recommended that buyers should incorporate the Annual Wage Supplement and annual wage increments into contracts. This is something the union will push hard for.
Source: NTUC This Week
