Dear Editor – As a former security guard at the Solomon Islands Ports Authority (SIPA), I want to highlight a few issues for the chief executive officer Colin Yow to take note of.
I was recruited by Nick Maena, who was regarded as the security manager, looking specifically after the port’s domestic area.
One thing good about the arrangement is those of us who were recruited by Mr Maena were paid direct by SIPA.
In other words, although Mr Maena recruited us, he was not responsible for our salaries. We receive our pay direct from SIPA.
But there’s one thing I want the CEO to know, if he still hasn’t been informed yet.
Last December during Mr Maena’s daughter’s wedding, he demanded that those of us who were recruited by him contribute part of our salaries towards the cost of the wedding.
In fact he issued a threat that those who refuse to contribute will get the sack. In the end, about 40 of us who worked under him had no option but to contribute towards the wedding.
There’s also something I want the CEO to know.
Mr Maena is not fair in his dealings with the security guards. There were some guards who were recruited just yesterday who are now employed on a permanent basis.
While there are others who had been working for months now, but are yet to get confirmation about their employment status.
The trick is this.
If you want to get permanent employment status, you must be prepared to make some kind of contribution to the security manager during pay days.
In other words, you pay the security manager so that he could recommend you for permanent employment status.
The CEO also needs to know that the security manager operates a fund at the workplace that is lent out at 20% interest to the guards.
As a former guard, I think this is a rip-off and amounts to unprofessional conduct on the part of the security manager.
Can the CEO look into the conducts of the security manager?
He better do that because there are a lot of frustrated security guards who are unhappy with the way the security manager runs the place.
There’s a danger in the workplace when workers are not happy.
The CEO needs to take note of this.
Billy Mani
Kukum
Honiara
