Several government facilities without guards

Dec 29, 2009 News

– payments withheld from security firm

In the midst of an ongoing court battle over the granting of government security contracts in several regions, a number of Government facilities were reportedly without security guards and at least one region has withheld payments for a major company.
Yesterday, a Region Two administration official disclosed that some security guards were either not turning up to work or were absent from Government buildings during recent checks.
Some payments, the official said, were withheld from R.K. Security for December month.
In Region Two, Essequibo, the majority of the affected facilities are schools along with the Dawa pump, and a Magistrate’s Court.
However, the hardest hit by guard absenteeism is in Region Six, Berbice, where hospitals, several schools, the Regional Democratic Council Offices and Canje Mental Institution among more than 20 structures without security.
The quarrel over the granting of the security contracts started back in November when the Ministry of Local Government granted contracts worth $60M monthly to two local companies, R.K.’s Security and HomeSafe Security, to secure its buildings countrywide.
R.K’s Security was granted Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six and HomeSafe Security the others.
However, Strategic Action Security Services, which previously had the contracts for the regions awarded to R.K.’s Security, was granted a court injunction recently after that company claimed that it still has a legal contract in force.
Several guards had already left Strategic Action and had started working for R.K’s, but a vast majority has stopped working altogether, protesting low wages and in some cases, no pay on recent days.
Strategic Action signed the contract last year on February 1, for a one-year duration.
Through its lawyer, the company had pointed out that according to the contract, “it is hereby mutually agreed between the parties that on expiration of the said term and the contractor, having duly observed the stipulation on his part herein contained in this agreement not having previously determined, shall have a right to automatic renewal of contract for a further period.”
In November, the Ministry signed a $46M per month contract with R.K.’s Security.
Yesterday, Strategic Action said that, although it is fighting a court battle, its checkers found that in Region One, at least eight facilities had no guards at the time; in Region Three at least 15 locations were unmanned; in Region Five there were more than a dozen while in Region Six where there are 89 contracted locations, almost 40 were without guards.
“Although we have not been paid, our staffers are still checking to ensure that no vandalism is happening at these facilities.
Our company has the capacity. We are hoping that we can still work something out,” said Richard Kanhai, director of Strategic Action.

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