Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 13 September 2022
27 families of security guards working in different Ports of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (under Port Management Board) are suffering for the last three months as the security guards have not been paid.
The security guards are in distress as it has become difficult for them to even put food on the table and to pay for their children’s education.
PMB had outsourced the posting of security guards to Jagrook Security Services Cooperative Society Ltd. for nine of its ports from Diglipur to Campbell Bay. The contract awarded to the Cooperative Society expired on 15th of June 2022. PMB offered an extension to the Cooperative Society, but the process of extension of the contract is still not complete.
Nicobar Times spoke to the Secretary of Jagrook Security Services Cooperative Society Ltd. who informed, that the delay in payment of salary is due to the process of extension of contract. The Secretary assured that he would pay the salaries of security guards in October 2022.
The poor security guards are made to suffer for no fault of theirs. The security guards provided their services sincerely and expected salaries on time.
It has become a common practice in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to delay the salaries of poor employees for some or other official/administrative reason. The delay in payment of salaries often leads to the employees falling into a debt trap.
Govt. Departments should ensure that their contractors pay salaries to their employees on time. There should be a system to check the misdeeds of contractors supplying manpower to Govt. Departments and automatic compensation should be awarded to poor employees for the delay in payment of salaries.
Govt. Departments should also make payments to their contractors on time so that the contractors can pay salaries to the employees without delay. In most cases of delay in payment of salaries, the contractor often blames the Govt. Department for non-payment of dues.