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Union of Security Employees to develop new mobile app for Security Officers
to raise feedback and workplace grievances
The Union of Security Employees (USE) today released its key survey findings comprising responses from over 1,000 Private Security Officers (SOs) in Singapore. The survey which was conducted between September to November 2020 aims to help USE better understand the issues that SOs face, and gain insights into improving their wages, welfare and work prospects.
Better Protection for Security Officers
An area of concern which was revealed in the latest survey showed that close to 4 in 10 SOs (42.3%) face abuse at the workplace - this is a 10% increase in abuse compared to findings from an earlier USE survey published last year. Majority of respondents also cited verbal abuse as the most common (37.2%) type of abuse faced, with a large proportion of perpetrators of the abuse (39.4%) coming from members of the public.
Since the launch of USE’s Mediation Service in 2018, USE has assisted close to 800 SOs to resolve employment-related disputes, instances of abuse, or work-related grievances. By Q3 2021, USE will launch a new mobile app for SOs to report abuse and work-related grievances to USE’s Mediation Service. Backed by findings from USE’s recent survey which reflect a high number of SOs (85.7%) well-versed in the use of technology at their workplace, USE aims to augment their feedback process through a digital platform that is seamless and accessible for the 50,000 active SOs across the industry. USE will also explore further opportunities for the app to be used as a platform for union and membership related functions.
In addition, USE has been publishing fortnightly ads in the newspapers since 2020, to inform SOs of its Mediation Service. The ads also encourage security agencies and members of the public to share any information of illegal manpower practices in the security industry. To raise awareness on respecting SOs, decals have also been placed at more than 15,000 buildings nation-wide to advocate against the abuse of SOs.
USE will also continue to conduct regular engagements with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to share their inputs on how to better protect SOs. As shared earlier, the union is thus looking forward to MHA’s upcoming amendments to the Private Security Industry Act to better protect our SOs.
USE strongly urges Singaporeans and the general public to treat our SOs with respect and to refrain from abusing SOs as they are merely carrying out their jobs as prescribed by law.
Better Wages for Security Officers
The survey revealed that wages continue to remain above the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) recommended levels across the board, reflecting the successful roll-out of the PWM to uplift wages in the sector.
USE has also been a member of the Security Tripartite Cluster (STC) since its inception. The STC, which introduced the PWM for the security sector, is currently evaluating the existing wage benchmarks last reviewed in 2017.
USE will continue to negotiate for higher wages for SOs as well as to provide better support for security agencies to implement higher wages for SOs. It is also critical for buyers of security services to understand that the increase in wages for SOs will also lead to better security outcomes and improvements in productivity at worksites.
Better Work Prospects for Security Officers
Despite the increase in abuse and the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey revealed that job satisfaction amongst SOs continue to remain high, with majority of respondents (81.2%) satisfied with their jobs. Other new findings also indicate that at least half of SOs (53.2%) are satisfied with their opportunities for promotion in their career, with two-thirds of SOs (65.6%) confident that they will not lose their jobs. In addition, two-thirds of SOs (66.9%) also feel that they receive a fair renumeration for their work.
USE has also previously organised several security buyers’ engagement sessions to help buyers move away from a cheap sourcing approach based on manpower headcount towards the Outcome-Based Contracting model. USE will continue to engage and educate security buyers with support from industry partners. However, security buyers too, have to understand that a cheap sourcing approach will lead to poor security outcomes and unsustainable security services in the long run. Whilst security buyers are able to outsource their work, they cannot outsource their responsibilities as owners of the site where SOs are deployed.
USE General Secretary Raymond Chin said, “The Union of Security Employees is very concerned with the increase in abuse of our security officers. We urge members of the public to respect our officers as they are merely carrying out their tasks as prescribed by law. We also encourage buyers of security services to work together with us and our security agencies to protect our officers from abuse, as well as to report such instances of abuse to the Police expeditiously.”
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