More than 200 private security companies pay below the minimum wage in Mozambique – O País

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More than 200 private security companies pay below the minimum wage in Mozambique – O País

3:23 CAT | 22 Nov 2021

Photo: O País

More than 80 per cent of private security companies in Mozambique do not respect their obligations to workers, have months of wage arrears and do not contribute to the Social Security System (INSS), secretary general of the Private Security Companies Union, Boaventura Sibinde disclosed on Friday (19-11) morning.

This can be clearly seen among the 240 national private security companies, most of them based in Maputo, which violate the laws, harming workers and competing companies.

The president of the Mozambican Security Association, Nuno Bento, considers the situation critical and calls on its members to comply with the law.

“The sector is going through several difficulties, including unfair competition and dumping. What happens is that there is a minimum price that we have to charge the customer for a security post, but there are companies which present costs much lower than stipulated, complicating the bills of those who comply with the legislation,” Bento said.

Bento also stated that these non-compliant companies also evade the INSS, hire two employees instead of three, and do not pay tax or customs duties. That is, they do the opposite of what is established by law, preventing the others from being able to compete on an equal footing and even win certain tenders.

The Private Security Union revealed a scenario of total discontent on the part of approximately 60,000 workers in this sector. However, what intrigues the members is the fact that this is fully known by the authorities.

“We have filed complaints with the Ministry of Labour, demanding that companies comply with what is enshrined in the legislation. It is not just about salary or social security, but in the face of various irregularities that they commit and we have discussed with employers themselves so that they understand that this harms their worker. But, more than that, the private security industry in the country is seen as a pariah industry,” Sibinde says.

Our source said that the recently accredited security companies are the ones that most promote these irregularities, in addition to belonging to Mozambicans. Sibinde goes further, demanding that those able to do so close the companies in question, for the honour of those which scrupulously comply.

Called on to intervene, the Ministry of the Interior lauded the initiative and professed itself open to collaboration with private agents in maintaining the safety of people and goods.

“Security companies have always been guided by close collaboration with the Defence and Security Forces, at the highest level, that’s why we’re here. In each space where a private security guard operates (school, supermarket, bank, etc.), whenever there is a criminal situation, the guard must immediately notify the authorities, through a toll-free line, which is why it’s vital to have the contact number of the officer on duty in the area,” said Fátima Bachir, a senior PRM superintendent.

By Inalcide Uamusse

Source: O País