Baktee
When the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the private security industry was launched in 2014, security officers like 63-year-old Sarojini Sethuram was optimistic about attaining better pay through better skills and productivity. And today, she earns a basic pay of $1,100, which is more than the $900 she used to earn when she first started work six years ago. Her management sent her colleagues and her for courses soon after the launch.
“Of course, any worker would want better pay, and the PWM has given us that. We had to go through training and learn new things and it helped us do our job better. When they told me I needed extra certificates and training, I didn’t hesitate to go for them,” she said.
Introduction of Security PWM
Almost two years have come and gone since the security PWM was launched. And on 1 September 2016, security agencies are required to adhere to the PWM requirements in order to be licensed to operate by the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department (PLRD).
Through the PWM, the Security Tripartite Cluster (STC) aimed to raise the wages of security officers, improve productivity, and provide a clear progression pathway for security officers. It was also introduced to level the playing field for all stakeholders and attract more into the security industry.
“Coming up with the PWM recommendation was right, and there was constant engagement with the stakeholders. We tried to balance their inputs together with the needs of the industry. Overall, this was a major breakthrough because we are making the industry more professional and ensuring that the security officers are paid salaries which commensurate with their skills and job responsibilities,” said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Zainal Sapari, who also chairs the STC.
Challenges Faced
However, preparations for the PWM came with its challenges. According to ASG Zainal, service providers found it challenging to find replacements for their security officers when they went for training, and officers who worked long hours found it difficult to attend the courses after work.
Attempts to address them came in the form of the Assessment-Only-Pathway (AOP) to allow experienced officers to obtain necessary qualifications without having to undergo training. NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) also funded up to 90 per cent for the first 2,000 officers who underwent training between November 2015 to July 2016.
Currently, an estimate of 29,000 local security officers benefit from the model. But based on estimates, there are still officers who do not meet the training requirements.
Back in March this year, ASG Zainal wrote in a blogpost that about 3,300 security supervisors were at risk of being demoted as they do not meet the necessary training requirements. He projected that currently, 1,600 security supervisors are still at risk.
Agencies who do not comply with the PWM are in danger of facing stiff penalties and may risk getting their licences revoked. But according to ASG Zainal, the PLRD will monitor PWM compliance by using a risk-based approach.
“Places that are of high-security risk, they will ensure all security officers deployed have all the necessary qualifications. For those places that are less critical, the PLRD will use a case by case basis approach,” he added.
Stagnation of Pay
Although many security officers are being paid more than before the introduction of the PWM, many are still seeing their pay stagnate or being reset to the basic recommended salary for their designation once contracts change hands.
ASG Zainal said: “We are looking at the PWM mechanism to see how wages of our workers can increase progressively in line with the national wage increases. I have tried to push for this through the National Wages Council (NWC) recommendation but it did not gain as much traction as we wanted because of fixed contract prices.
“The current model is a safety net to ensure that wages do not go below the recommended salary. But it is not the best solution and that is why the tripartite committee is now looking into how we can negate the stagnating effect and see how the wages can increase automatically, especially during contract renewals, by having a built in wage increase to the wage ladder. On the benefit of hindsight, we should have had the annual wage increments factored into the model when we were developing it.”
Headcount Approach No Longer Viable
Despite measures to attract workers into the security industry, it is still facing a shortage of manpower. Union of Security Employees Executive Secretary Steve Tan believes the answer to this issue comes in the form of the use of technology.
Mr Tan also highlighted the common practice for service buyers to purchase technology and manpower contracts separately.
“This is a strange practice. The only way productivity can happen is if service buyers buy these two contracts together. The other way is if we legislate it as a requirement, but I don’t think this will move overnight,” he said.
He also added that service buyers should decide the technology and manpower requirements hand-in-hand.
“Service buyers should do a security assessment of their sites and decide what the security level should be. Certain areas can be completely policed by cameras and fibre optic detection cables, and other areas could be reinforced by manpower,” said Mr Tan.
Mr Tan also urged service providers to tap on schemes such as Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore’s (IDA) iSPRINT to develop their technological capabilities.
“This would allow service providers to offer a systemic solution when they approach service buyers,” he added.
