Security guards on the frontline poorly paid

Security guards on the frontline poorly paid

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Thursday's bomb blast in front of the Australian Embassy on Jl.
Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta, killed nine people, one of
whom was an embassy security guard.

And security guards at the embassy and at premises nearby also
make up some of the 182 people injured in the blast.

Last year, four security guards were among the 12 fatalities
in an explosion at the JW Marriott Hotel in Mega Kuningan, South
Jakarta, that injured 147 people.

The responsibility to secure state and private premises has
put the guards on the frontline in the fight against terrorism.
However, despite the increasing risks, most of them still get
meager amounts of pay.

"We just have to accept (the risks) as being part of our job,"
said Muhammad Sidik, a security guard at an office building on
Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta. "If anything happens to us during
our duty, it is our fate."

The 34-year-old guard usually brings home about Rp 1 million
(US$107.64) per month. Beside the take-home pay, he is also
enrolled by his company in the government's Workers Social
Protection Scheme (Jamsostek).

Sidik hoped his company would provide better equipment and
clothing for guards, including protective vests.

Despite the risks, Sidik, who has to support a wife and four
children, has a simple reason for staying in his line of work.
"It's hard to find a job these days, especially at my age," he
said.

Another security guard, Nursalim, who works at an office
building on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, said his salary did
not compensate for the high risks.

"At times like this, our employer always requires us to
perform better," said the 33-year-old. "On the other hand, they
don't look to improve our welfare."

Nursalim, who works a 12-hour shift each day, said his basic
wage was only Rp 800,000, excluding family and health stipends
and overtime pay of some Rp 200,000.

Still, he said he was grateful he received more than the many
guards working for contract security firms, who were often paid
lower than Jakarta's regional minimum wage of Rp 671,550 a month.

"All I hope is that my company helps support my family if
something bad happens to me on duty," Nursalim said. "Employers
should also provide us with more training about how to anticipate
bomb attacks."

Dede, 30, a guard from a security contractor, said his pay was
quite low but like Sidik, said it was the only job he could find.

He mentioned his concern over reports there would be further
attacks on Australian targets around the country.

"It would really make me think twice if my company sent me to
work at any of those places," he said.