Speaking to FMT, Security Training and Development Association (Stadam) president Khirudin Tajudin said clients had lost confidence in the ability of security companies to deliver.
“It is all about competition and fair practices. There is nothing much you can do to persuade any of the authorities, or anybody, including clients, to pay higher rates.
“I would say, when people talk about rates, there are no excuses. You must compete fairly.
“Sometimes, clients think the market rate is RM7.50 per hour, not realising that the security is for a modern building in Cyberjaya, not an old factory.
“There is a difference here. The rates cannot be standardised,” he said.
Khirudin added that most security services had been marketed in the same way for too long, calling for innovation in the way such products were presented.
He said if stakeholders worked with the human resources ministry, there was much they could do to obtain their own accreditations.
But instead, he said, service providers were merely resting on their laurels.
“It is all topsy-turvy now. We need to change things around and rebrand.
“It is imperative that the growing cost of managing a security company is supported by equal growth in the rates per man hour.
“We cannot afford to cut corners as this gives rise to various problems reported in the press.”
Khirudin said security companies must also realise the changing demands and expectations of their clientele.
“But there is no paradigm shift in the security industry.”
He urged the Malaysian Security Control Services Association to take the lead in the matter.
“It must stand out in an increasingly competitive business environment.”
Likewise, he said, business owners must offer contracts on fair terms.
“Business owners must get together, analyse the issues and come up with a white paper to be presented to the government to seek solutions.”
Khirudin’s comments followed the case of a group of security guards who lodged a complaint with the Penang Labour Department, claiming they were forced to work for long stretches without any days off.
The Star reported the group’s spokesman, Muhammad Fazly Md Ibrahim, as saying he had worked for four months in a row without a day off, and that if any of them needed time off, they would have to find someone to cover for them.
Salaries were also always late, he said after lodging the complaint with the Labour Department at Downing Street on Wednesday.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram