Editor,

Please, allow me space in your widely read newspaper to complain about Wackenhut/G4S. We the guards at the G4S security company wish to bring to your notice the deplorable condition under which we operate.  We are convinced that we have nowhere else to lodge our complaint, concerning the difficulties we face, other than your office.

Be informed that the our company top secret is being realised by the guards which we seeked for your extreme assistance.

The Wackenhut the Gambia limited is involved in charging some of the parastatals, NGOs, institutions, and other private sectors with huge amount of money just for giving them young Gambians employed under this company called guards.

But if you should imagine how much they charge people per one guard and compared to how much a guard and compared to how much a guard is paid monthly.  An example of this story is MRC, which is paying a private guard an amount of D8,000.00, when a guard is paid with only D1,436.00 by the Wackenhut.  A senior guard is paid with D9,000.00 plus while the senior guard will be paid with only D1,600.00 to D1,756 because they want to depend on us and gain more profit for their interest.

Be informed that almost half of our rights have being seized from us we aren’t given our complete vacations, in fact some of our guards are deducted with Social Security and Housing Finance charges from the monthly salaries which are being issued with their cards.

What are our expectations after leaving this service? I some wondered why should a guard be blamed when a theft care is committed.  If one is not contented of the salary you are paid, you are likely to involve in prohibited issues.

Verro Gmoze

Fajikunda

Editor’s Note:

Verro, I completely fail to see your point. Wachenhut/G4S offered you a job on certain conditions of pay and service. You freely accepted the job on those conditions. So what is there to complain about? You are paid above the statutory minimum wage.

If your other rights are interfered with, you have a right to legal recourse - or look for another job. It is not illegal for Wachenhut/G4S to maximise their profits. You also ask “Why should a guard be blamed when a theft is committed?”. Quite simply because it is your job to ensure a theft is not committed.

If you don’t like the job, you leave - you don’t let a theft be committed while you are being paid to be a guard. On a point that we may agree, I know that Wachenhut/G4S is a foreign company and I would love it if indigenous Gambians could start their own security company - and maybe pay their workers more. Till then, I am afraid your case is dismissed! Of course others, including Wackenhut/4GS, are welcome to air their views.