The Association of Private Security Organisations, Ghana (APSOG) has emphatically refuted recent assertions that its member companies are underpaying the private security guards they employ.
Ibrahim Usunaba, President of the Association, indicated that claims suggesting member organizations deliberately cheat or underpay their workers are not entirely true. He clarified that any companies found to be underpaying their security guards are likely not members of the APSOG.
Mr. Usunaba’s statement came in response to a recent interview granted by the Private Security Guards Association of Ghana (PSGA-G) concerning the poor conditions of service for its members, which called for immediate regulatory intervention.
Roland Obibah Mensah, National President of the PSGA-G, had highlighted the grueling working conditions, noting that despite guards working 12 hours a day and being entitled to only one day off per week, their monthly earnings are alarmingly low. Speaking on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM’s Frontline with host Kwabena Agyapong, Mr. Mensah disclosed the dire salary situation, claiming that private security guards are paid a paltry Ghc500 to Ghc800 per month. He further alleged that the client companies pay substantial sums to the security firms, who then pay their guards significantly less.
APSOG’s Counter-Argument
However, Ibrahim Usunuba stated that these claims are inaccurate. He told the host that per the Association’s arrangements and guidelines, all registered member security companies are advised to pay guards 50 percent of the amount charged to the client company.
He also surprisingly revealed that, contrary to claims of clients paying large sums, some banks, corporate bodies, and even state agencies pay them below Ghc2,000 per guard assigned to their facilities.
Mr. Usunuba explained that the agreements with these institutions often stipulate only two guards for a 12-hour shift each, making it impossible to employ more than two guards for a system requiring three or more shifts.
“The claims made by Roland Obiba Mensah are not entirely accurate,” Mr. Usunuba noted. “The notion of widespread underpayment for private security guards is prevalent, but in reality, that is not the case.”
He detailed the measures APSOG has taken: “We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) advising members not to sign any contract charging less than Ghc2,000. In the past, we were charging from Ghc1,200 to Ghc1,500, but to ensure sanity in the industry, we now advise our members not to charge below Ghc2,000.”
He acknowledged the intense competition for contracts, which can sometimes lead companies with lower budgets to seek cheaper services. To address this, he reiterated: “We have reached an agreement that 50 percent net of the contract sum be paid to the guard.”
Mr. Usunuba then outlined the financial breakdown: “After paying the net, you then process the statutory payments including SSNIT contributions for the guard (Tier One and Two), life insurance policies, and so forth. By the time the calculations are complete, the guard would have taken almost 70% of the contract sum.”
He continued: “Imagine you charge Ghc1,800 per guard; how much will you pay the guard? From the remaining percentage, you deduct the cost of uniforms, supervision, administrative costs, utility costs, among others.”
He argued that those who make such accusations often “have no clue” about the amount client companies contract them for per guard. To prevent such accusations, the Association has agreed that member security companies must inform their security guards of the amount they receive from signed contracts. He advised guards with genuine concerns to reach out directly to the Association for redress.
Corporate Clients Also Implicated
Reinforcing the APSOG President’s point, Robert Alexander Budu-Larbi, also posited that even top corporate organizations and popular businesses in Ghana often do not pay a reasonable amount when contracting security companies.
He disclosed that some, including banks, pay less than Ghc2,000 per month for the services of contracted security guards.
“It will interest you to know that none of these companies pay Ghc4,000 to Ghc5,000 per guard. What they pay is between Ghc1,200 to Ghc2,000,” he stated. “So, we are not the ones cheating our security guards. It is because, from what we have observed, the companies that contract us don’t pay enough.”
Mr. Budu-Larbi also added that the claim that security guards are paid Ghc500 is inaccurate, unless the security company involved is not a member of the Association.
He also revealed that even the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), a state-owned company, pays a security guard below Ghc1,800. He issued a challenge, stating, “I challenge you to go and conduct your investigation. Even the GRA, which is a state company, pays less than Ghc1,800 per month. The best place are the mines. I know a mine that pays the security company management fee, pays the security Ghc1,500 as take home pay, breakfast, lunch, transportation and other benefits.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
