Security employers inspected
March 23rd, 2010
Security services employers were blitzed by SA labour inspectors in February 2010 to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation.
Previous blitzes focused on agriculture, construction and hospitality. SA Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana sent labour officials to read company records and interview workers as well as managers.
Among the inspection focus areas are working conditions, being prone to long and irregular shift work programmes, low wages, and inconsistent training levels.
Some African security employers are subsidiaries of global companies. A survey had revealed that some 60% of SA security guards earned below R1500 per month, while over 70% worked longer than a 45 hour week, said the SA Department of Labour, citing state and industry sources.
Some 4 763 security service companies were registered in SA in 2006, together employing 269 901 workers. By 2007, some 300 000 people worked in the security sector.
The SA sector includes 4041 guarding services, 868 cash-in-transit services and 881 armed response services. The security sector has a turnover of R14-billion per year. Employers are represented by six organisations, and labour is represented by 18 trade unions.
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