Maputo, 30 Jun (AIM) – The Mozambican Association of Security Guards (AMS) has announced that at least 56 private security companies, in the southern Maputo province alone, owe 123 million meticais (1.9 million dollars at the current exchange rate) to the National Social Security Institute (INSS).
According to AMS chairperson, Nuno Bento, the companies in question “endanger the rights of the sector’s workers who, during their retirement, will not receive any pension. In Maputo province, only eight private security companies have their tax situation in order.”
“These companies harm the workers. The workers will reach the end of their contributory career and they will see that no social security contributions have been channelled to the INSS, and so they have no right to a pension. There are more private security companies springing up in the country and with this comes an increase in the number and type of challenges, one of them being the failure to channel contributions to the compulsory social security system”, Bento said.
He also revealed that there are still private security companies that are paying less than the statutory minimum wage and the government does nothing to force them to follow the law.
“There are workers who receive 4,500 meticais a month, which is less than half the minimum wage. Contributions are not channelled into social security. Many companies don’t even pay taxes. They should comply with the labour law. There are also workers who work more than 12 hours a day, others work 24 hour shifts”, he said, cited by the independent daily paper “O País.”
Bento accuses the government of doing nothing to hold the offending companies accountable.
“To date there has been no intervention by the Labor Ministry or the Interior Ministry, both responsible for overseeing the sector. The Interior Ministry gives companies licenses to operate, and the Labor Ministry is supposed to monitor payment of the minimum wages and the number of hours worked”, he said.
(AIM)
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