Education Ministry told to intervene for school guards not paid salaries

Jaringan Pekerja Kontrak Kerajaan (JPKK) has called on the Education Ministry to intervene over unpaid salaries owed to security guards in 10 government schools in Perlis.

It said the private company managing those schools have not paid salaries to 38 security guards for two months.

Their salaries are directly paid by the government and there was no reason for the private firm not to channel them to the security guards - unless they have used the funds for anything other than their intended purpose, JPKK added.

"It does not make sense that the company is late in paying their workers unless the Education Ministry was late in disbursing the payment.

"And if it is not the Education Ministry in disbursing payments to the security firm to pay its workers, then the firm may have committed a breach of trust," it said.

'Security guards are worried'

Calling on the ministry to intervene, JPKK said the guards last received their salary for July, which was also paid late - on Sept 24.

It added that the company had promised to pay the August and September salaries on Oct 15 but did not follow through and postponed it to Oct 22.

"The security guards are worried that the payment will be delayed again," it said.

The government contracts the hiring of cleaning and security personnel to private firms.

However, the practice has given rise to complaints of exploitation of the workers by certain private firms.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia has been at the forefront of raising the plight of contract cleaners and security guards in government schools and had set up the JPKK to address such issues. - Mkini