JAMAICA | Engage Security Guards About Their Upgraded Employment Status Says the PNP

KINGSTON, Jamaica. November 8, 2022.  The People’s National Party says it fully supports the position of the security guards who mounted a demonstration on Monday, November 7, 2022, to indicate their dissatisfaction with the silence of the Government regarding the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in September 2022 and its implications for all security guards and all contractors who are employed under similar circumstances.

Opposition Spokesperson on Labour and Social Security Dr. Angela Brown Burke in a statement today,  expressed solidarity with the security guards. 

She pointed out that, “The right to a 40-hour work week, pension, overtime, sick leave, vacation leave and holiday pay are rights guaranteed to all Jamaican workers under the law.”  

She noted that the court’s ruling in  NHT v Marksman Limited has set the precedent that security guards are entitled to these benefits and it is therefore reasonable for all security guards to expect to hear from the Government of Jamaica about their upgraded employment status.

Dr. Brown Burke is insisting that any discussion towards the expected change in status should include the security guards themselves and/or their appointed representatives. “Our security guards cannot be expected to exercise patience while others who are involved in determining their future show no urgency”, said Dr. Brown Burke.

Dr. Brown Burke is calling on the government to include consideration of compensation for back pay for these workers who for years have been denied basic workers’ rights and to move immediately to include them in any ongoing discussions about their upgraded status. The Opposition Spokesperson is also urging the entire security industry to adopt the necessary changes in keeping with the Court ruling.

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