The Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Ten has moved a motion which may ultimately lead to the cessation of Kalibur Security’s services within the area.
According to a Region Ten press release on Thursday, the motion which was debated fiercely and supported by both APNU+AFC and PPP/C councillors, described a long list of infringements allegedly committed by the management of Kalibur Security.
The council voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion.
Regional Chairman, Renis Morian, disclosed that at least one of the female security officers who had divulged information detailing her treatment by the security company was dismissed earlier on Thursday. Morian said that he was “completely fed up” with the way the security company was operating and declared that if this is how Kalibur operated in other regions, then he and his councillors will not allow the same to take place in their region.
Thursday’s press release followed an earlier one from the Region on October 30 in which it had accused Kalibur of disrespecting its female security guards.
There was no public statement by Kalibur on this allegation but on November 1, the attorney for Kalibur Security wrote the Region 10 administration asking it to provide a formal complaint that the company had shown disrespect for female guards.
The letter to Morian followed a report in the October 31st edition of Stabroek News which said that Region Ten had alleged that Kalibur had been disrespecting female guards working with it.
On October 30th, Stabroek News had contacted Kalibur to respond to the Region 10 allegations but despite an assurance, the company provided no statement to the newspaper for inclusion in the report of October 31st.
The letter of November 1st to Morian by attorney Nigel S Anthony said he had been instructed by Kalibur Proprietor/Managing Director George Gomes to write to state that neither the regional chairman nor members of his council had ever made any formal complaint about female guards being disrespected.
Anthony said that Gomes was seeking a formal complaint from the allegedly affected employees for the purposes of an investigation. Anthony’s letter also said that Gomes wanted to advise Morian that Kalibur has a “zero tolerance policy of discrimination”. The letter went on to ask that there be no further publication in this matter failing which “appropriate legal action” would be taken.
It is unclear whether Morian received this letter and acted upon it but the Thursday press release from Region 10 signalled an even harder line against Kalibur.
In the later press release, Morian stated that he did not care who the company may be connected to in Government, adding that his first and foremost responsibility lies with the public and as such, he has had enough from the company.
“It seems as though this company is connected to somebody big in society because I can’t see that they are doing all these … things to their workers especially the women and despite us meeting with them for three different times and relaying our concerns on numerous occasions not a single thing has changed. So let me say that I don’t care if they are connected with anyone in Government, once I am the Regional Chairman of this council, Kalibur will no longer be working in Region Ten if this is their approach”, he said.
In the Thursday press release, Head of the Welfare and Women’s committee on the Council, Denise Belgrave, in support of the Chairman’s suggestion said that she continues to be appalled by the actions taken against workers of the security company. She echoed similar sentiments raised by several other councillors, alleging that women are being dismissed because they refuse to work after two consecutive shifts after they would have completed 16 hours.
Belgrave described the conditions that many women are forced to work under as totally horrible and questioned why after all the numerous complaints the company is still being given a contract to operate within the Region. She said that she supports the Regional Chairman’s decision that the company should only be allowed to work once immediate and drastic changes are made by the company recognising that there must be unequivocal respect for women at all levels irrespective of their economic and or social situation in life.
Regional Executive Officer and Clerk of the Meeting, Orrin Gordon, disclosed that he had questioned the contract since earlier this year, and had expressed some serious concerns but was informed that the contract is not prepared and determined in Region Ten but is done in Georgetown. “Earlier this year from around March, I had asked several questions and was told that this is done in Georgetown. However, I would like to report that the company is presently not operating with a contract as there is no contract in place for Kalibur Security,” Gordon said. At this point the Regional Chairman interjected declaring, “Well this is great news for us as this is the end of the road for Kalibur Security if they intend to continue like this as this region will not allow them in unless there is drastic, immediate and significant changes.”
Also supporting the decision to not renew the security company’s contract was longstanding Regional Councillor, Stanley Sampson, who issued a call to the Department of Labour to get “deeply involved.”
