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SINGAPORE: Calvin Lee (not his real name) has chosen a career in the security industry, a move that is considered quite unusual for a Singaporean in his 30s.
Lee, a senior security officer, said he enjoys the job and wants to move up the ranks, but the long working hours are hard to bear.
Security officers work some of the longest hours in Singapore, and many agencies work 12-hour shifts, six days a week. This translates to 95 overtime hours per month, according to the Tripartite Safety Group that was formed in 2013 to analyze a Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the industry.
After working for a year in a large security agency, Lee became an internal security officer with fewer hours. However, this came with a pay cut.
“It really was a horrible experience … literally lifeless,” he said of his time at the security agency. “Twelve hours of work, two hours of commute, six hours of sleep. That leaves you four hours a day to eat, shower, wash clothes and do housework – you don’t even have time to watch a show. “
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The 95 hours of overtime that are typical for a security officer exceed the limit of 72 hours per month established in the Employment Law, although the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) may grant an overtime exemption permit (OTE ).
While the permit is a means for companies to respond to emergencies or complete urgent projects on time, security companies have obtained OTE to meet their operational needs.
NO MORE EXTRA TIME EXEMPTIONS
However, this is going to change.
Three years ago, the Tripartite Security Group (STC) recommended eliminating the OTE for the security industry, as well as increasing base salaries so that the gross salary of security officers does not fall as a result of fewer hours worked. . It is scheduled to start from January 2021.
Despite the impact of COVID-19, the STC reviewed these recommendations two months ago and agreed to move forward without delay, it told CNA on Friday (November 27) in a joint response with the MOM and the Ministry of the Interior (MHA).
As overtime waivers will no longer be issued for the security industry, the result is that security agencies will have to stick to a maximum of 72 overtime hours per month.
This still means 12-hour shifts, but instead of working six days a week, officers will work five days for two weeks of the month and six days for two weeks of the month.
To ensure that most security officers do not experience a drop in gross salaries when the OTE is removed, the PWM stipulates that the base salary of security officers will increase by S $ 150, which is double the annual salary increase. of PWM for the past two years.
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Starting next year, entry-level officers must receive a base salary of at least S $ 1,400 and a security supervisor must receive a minimum of S $ 1,785. The gross monthly salary of an officer is typically more than S $ 2,200 after adding overtime pay and allowances.
“The security industry needs to take a decisive step to eliminate its reliance on excessive overtime,” the STC said in a 2017 report when it published its recommendations on the elimination of OTE.
“The STC strongly urges law enforcement agencies to begin planning ahead and working with their service buyers to review their operations and manpower needs.”
Officials said the three-year lead time has allowed the industry to increase hiring and adjust its operations and work patterns. The percentage of licensed security agencies that have applied for OTE has decreased from 76% in 2017 to 19% in October 2020.
“WE RUN IN RED BULL AND CAFÉ”
It is a tough industry. Some officers work beyond the stipulated 72 hours a week to earn more.
Several security officers, who requested anonymity, told CNA that they had worked or had heard of people who had worked consecutive 12-hour shifts.
“When you are resting, you are not resting… you feel like you are locked up, work here and live here. It’s like going to the National Service, but different, ”said a former security officer, who left the industry a few years ago.
“We run Red Bull and coffee.”
When he was in the industry, it was common, he said. He added that he and his colleagues did not mind long hours, as long as they felt the salary was good.
“We were short of men … many of them were more than happy to do so for the lucrative pay,” said the former officer, who also declined to be named. “They were mostly Malaysians.”
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Jourdan Sabapathy, executive director of the Singapore Security Association (SAS), said there is evidence that there has been an increase in officers taking consecutive shifts based on feedback from their members.
“We have been advising our agencies and officials that this is illegal and that it really should not continue,” he said.
Mr. Steve Tan of the Security Employees Union (USE) said the union has been posting classified ads asking officers to come forward if they have complaints or know of agencies with illegal practices.
“We have had quite a few leads so far,” he said, adding that they are working with MOM to clamp down on such practices.
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MOM said that in addition to enforcing such violations, it educates companies and workers about their labor rights and obligations through its Workright inspections and road shows.
As a general rule, law enforcement agencies cannot send their officers to work shifts that exceed 12 hours, but officers can work for up to two employers. While the vast majority of security officers work for a single security agency, some work part-time or on an ad-hoc basis, such as at events.
“Allowing security officers to work for a second employer provides them with greater flexibility in their work arrangements,” authorities said in an email to CNA.
“For security officers taking on additional assignments, employers must take all practical steps, such as scheduling breaks between shifts, to protect the security officer from safety and health risks.”
Employers must also have effective fatigue management techniques to detect instances of safety officers who may be working longer hours or for multiple employers, MOM, MHA and STC said.
“Security officers also play a role in taking care of their own workplace safety and health by getting enough rest.”
CHALLENGES OF REDUCING OVER HOURS
While the looming cap on overtime is meant to improve working conditions and attract people to the industry, there are implications for various stakeholders.
On the one hand, it will lead to a further shortage of security officers in the short term, industry players said.
Mr. Tan from USE acknowledged that there may be officers who will now take a second job.
“They are looking for another job to work OT (overtime), to which they are used, instead of resting more, which is our intention,” he said.
With a perennial labor shortage in the industry, there is no shortage of jobs for officers willing to take on.
There is a shortfall of 10,000 to 15,000 full-time officers, Sabapathy noted. While there are about 70,000 to 80,000 licensed security officers, only about 50,000 are active and working full time.
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Kelvin Goh of the Soverus security agency said he will have to hire more officers and even cancel some contracts that will not be profitable.
“The contract prices would have to be high enough to make sure that we can pay for the guards … I will probably downsize my company a bit next year just to make sure we earn enough money to pay the guards, ” he said.
“For me, I leave the contracts, but many companies are trying to do it at the same rate or even lower,” he added, calling them “low ballers.”
Morrine Henson, CEO of Alwatch Security Management, said she is happy to pay employees more, but most buyers are unwilling to pay higher prices for security contracts.
“Why are we required to pay the amount we have to pay our people … but advising clients to pay us a larger amount is considered pricing,” he asked.
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Mr. Tan said they have heard a lot of complaints about “low ballers” recently, adding that it is a concerning trend.
“We are very, very concerned. The last thing we want to see is the unwanted outcome where we try to toughen the conditions … (but) squeeze the best security agencies, leaving all these bears. “
SLOW ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY
The security PWM that was introduced in 2016 has benefited some 36,000 security officers, authorities said.
Between 2014 and 2019, the real average gross income of security officers grew 36%, from 1758 to 2391 Singaporean dollars, exceeding the 21% growth of the national real average income.
But Tan has seen buyers resist price increases. He thinks that not many of them are considering alternatives such as using technology to alleviate the labor shortage.
Some examples of these are visitor management systems and license plate recognition, robots and smart cameras.
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Mr. Tan suggested tightening the requirements for security service buyers and providers. For example, buyers need to ensure that the supplier’s HR standards are up to par, and companies need to be more open about the cost of services so buyers have more information with which to evaluate bids.
Over time, he believes that gradual wage increases will propel the industry towards greater use of technology,but that process has not been fast enough.
SAS’s Mr. Sabapathy said it is a “delicate situation” unless all industry stakeholders cooperate to adopt technology and redesign jobs.
“There are agencies that are willing to accept it, but if buyers do not take the first step, it is very difficult,” he said.
Meanwhile, security officers like Mr. Lee feel underpaid and overworked.
He said: “It’s a job that when something bad happens, the security guards have to stay in the burning building to make sure everyone else gets out first or gets close to a potentially dangerous person … , people think (the officer) is overpaid, but when something happens, they want the best. “
