Govt may standardise wages for pvt security

nNEW DELHI: The Centre is considering bringing about nine million private security guards under the purview of Code on Wages, 2019, to ensure uniform minimum wages for them nationally, Union home ministry officials said. State governments currently regulate the private security sector and wages of guards differ from one state to another.

Parliament passed the code last year to guarantee a minimum wage to hundreds of millions of workers and to have set standard wages nationally. The rules for the code are being framed. According to the code, minimum wages will no longer be based on employment but on geography and skills. It seeks to ensure timely payment of minimum wages and offers legislative protection to over 500 million workers in the sector.

In a video conference with over 250 CEOS of private security agencies and Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) on Friday, home ministry officials assured the guards will be taken care of in terms of wages, bonus, salaries, overtime and social security schemes.

CAPSI chairman Kunwar Vikram Singh said the proposed move will have a positive impact on the guards, who have worked efficiently across all sectors. “The home ministry has appreciated the role of private security agencies/guards and noted the difficulties they face,” he said.

The officials said the ministry will release the amendments to the Private Security Agencies Regulation Act, which will create a new regime for ease to doing business for private security agencies. As per the rules, security agencies are expected to be able to offer designations to the guards. Applications for the licences are likely to be eased and digital payments are expected to be allowed.

Around 9 million security guards are registered with over 23,000 private agencies and they are deployed at government offices, retail outlets, malls, restaurants, residential complexes etc. Delhi alone has around 375,000 security guards and Gurugram, around 350,000, according to CAPSI data. MHA officials did not offer any further comments on the proposal.