Security guards’ pay-back-the-money campaign steams ahead

Employee representatives continue with action to demand employers pay-back an estimated R75 million deducted ‘irregularly’ from over 30,000 security guards writes Lucas Ledwaba

UNIONS organising in the private security sector are this week set to continue with their ‘pay-back-the-money’ campaign against companies they accuse of making irregular deductions from workers’ salaries under the guise of providing health care benefits.

The campaign which was launched in Johannesburg in early February continues despite grumblings by The Association for Private Security Owners of South Africa (TAPSOSA) against the unions’ demand that they work through Affinity Health as the administrator of workers’ health benefits.

In March 2021, the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (NBCPSS) approved a health insurance benefits scheme for the sector following the signing of a collective bargaining agreement with employers and unions.

Affinity Health was later appointed as administrator for the health insurance benefits scheme. The benefits include chronic disease management and medication, doctor consultations, hospital and casualty benefits, including an HIV and TB management programme.

However unions have accused security companies of failing to adhere to the agreement, deducting money from workers’ salaries but failing to provide the health care benefits or using other service providers either than the one appointed by the NBCPSS.

The matter was reported to the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and the Council for Medical Schemes which has confirmed it’s investigating.

On Wednesday members of Abanqobi Workers Union (AWU), Kungwini Amalgamated Workers Union (KAWU), National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), are set to picket at the headquarters of Mafoko Security in Hatfield, Pretoria.

The protest follows after a similar one in which union members marched to the offices of iMvula Security in Sandton on 14 February.

Pretoria based Mafoko Security says on its website it “specializes in physical security and electronic security services. These services are provided to a range of clients from Private, Corporate, and Government clients.”

The unions, in a joint statement by Zithulise Mqadi of AWU, Khumbulani Moyo of KAWU, Frederick Mabasa of  Numsa and Philemon Bhembe of SATAWU; are demanding among other things that Mafoko Security “duly register all its security officers with the designated healthcare service provider to ensure that the workers receive their healthcare benefits, as per the MCA.”

They are also calling on Mafoko to “duly register all its security officers with the Private Security Sector Provident Fund to ensure that the lives of these workers and their families are protected from the catastrophic effects of loss of income by benefiting from better retirement, disability, death and funeral benefits.”

However the TAPSOSA, an organisation representing private security companies including Mafoko Security, is crying foul. The organisations lists Jones Maphalaphathwa as its president, deputy president Lebo Nare, national chairperson Phillip Mukhithi and secretary general Moses Malada.

“To be subjected to belonging to Affinity is tantamount to anti-competitive behaviour and infringes on their freedom of association as enshrined in our constitution,” the organisation said in a statement.

TAPSOSA questioned why, “out of more than 10 000 private security employers in the country, they (unions) chose to name and shame only 18 companies, but, in their statement, they claim that more than 80% of companies in this industry are not compliant. Some of these companies have afforded their employees’ access to better healthcare benefits but are included in this list to discredit their reputation.”

Among other demands, the unions want the directors of the companies implicated to be investigated, arrested and prosecuted, and that the contracts of those, including Mafoko who are doing business with government be terminated if found guilty.

“Mafoko Security must pay back the money they are supposed to be paying over to Affinity Health and the Private Security Sector Provident Fund in the last 11 months to ensure that workers enjoy these benefit with immediate effect. We are aware that such amounts of money are channelled into the pockets of greedy bosses (as profits) and senior managers (as bonuses) instead of the designated service providers,” the unions said in a joint statement this week.

They said Mafoko Security should have been paying over R250 to Affinity Health, the designated service provider, to cover the primary healthcare needs of their over 6 000 security officers.

“Mafoko has not been doing so thus owing over R16 million worth of the workers’ healthcare cover. This money is channelled into the pockets of greedy shareholders and senior managers leaving many security officers badly exposed to financial catastrophe as a direct result of paying for quality healthcare,” the unions said.

TAPSOSA said it supports the call for an investigation by the Council for Medical Schemes “if workers are not afforded proper medical benefits” and together with its members “will cooperate with any investigation to root out fraud and corruption.”

However the body fired a salvo at the unions, suggesting they were taking sides in a battle for control of the lucrative employee health benefits industry.

“This industry is riddled with conniving modus operandi by big players who target those seen as a threat in dismantling the current status quo of monopolising the private security business. Some of these unions are used as pawns in this process,” TAPSOSA said.

Mabasa said they had hoped to avoid this action and asked that Mafoko “provides us with proof that they have desisted from such shameful and immoral act against its workers and are ready to comply with the MCA. But, alas, Mafoko has been hesitant in all the meetings we have had with them. It is now clear to the workers that Mafoko is only interested in averting the demonstration by workers than fully submitting to the MCA.”

In its 2021/22 annual report, the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) said there were 586,042 registered active security officers as at the end of March last year and 11,540 active registered private security businesses. – Mukurukuru Media