Dear Editor
KINDLY permit me space in the letter column of your newspaper to highlight our grave plight and suffering as security guards employed in the Private Security Service and working to protect Government and State properties, along with their workers–the Public Servants–which include maids and sweeper cleaners.

In 2013, the former PPP/C Administration had raised the National Minimum Wages/Salaries to the sum of $ 35,000 per month and clearly stated for all workers in Guyana as Published in the National Minimum Wages / Salaries Act. After the APNU/ AFC took over the administration, they raised the National Minimum Wages/ salaries for Public Servants to $50,000 per month and again in this year it has raised the minimum wages/salaries for Public Servants to $60,000 per month, payable from the 1st of January, 2017. In October 2016, as appeared in the headline in the Guyana Chronicle captioned ‘Higher Wages, Cabinet clears new minimum wage for Private Sector and again on the 24th of November, under the headline ‘New Minimum Wage’ it was stated that the new minimum wage / salaries to be paid the Private Sector Workers in the sum of Forty Four thousand ($ 44,000) per month payable from 1st January 2017.

It is known the 21st of October 2017, one year since the order was made by Cabinet, we in the Security Service are still waiting for the increase order to be honoured by the Private Security Services. In August, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott called on the ‘Private Security Services at a Security Service Conference to honour and pay security guards the new minimum wage for private sector workers, but it has fallen on deaf ears, and we are still suffering. Hoping the Hon. Minister Scott will follow up and see to it that we get what we deserve, as we are all workers and deserve better wages.
Regards
R. Kumar
Suffering Security Guard