Guards: An underpaid, overworked lot While many of us are comfortable in our air-conditioned offices and drawing a decent salary each month, many Namibians are not this privileged and continue to work under difficult conditions. The plight of security guards in this country is one that is not taken seriously by many. These officers are often regarded as objects, ill-treated by their bosses, forced to work abnormal hours and sometimes under very dangerous conditions. Yet they are underpaid. It is sad that most firms pay peanuts to these guards who do a very good job at night and during the day. The industry doesn''t take good care of them. The leaders have seemingly turned their backs on them as calls for appropriate legislation and coming up with a decent minimum wage that will allow security guards to take care of their basic needs, simply appears to be nowhere on the horizon. For people who are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of human lives and valuable property, it is shocking that the plight of these people whom we continuously rely on for safety and security is continuously overlooked. These women and men in uniform operate under very difficult conditions and occupy high risk jobs that continuously underpay and exploit them. Until when will our prized security guards continue to survive and tolerate this oppression? Or are they only valuable when it comes to protecting our lives and properties? We salute the gallant efforts of some unions who are confronting security company owners in raising the pay of our security workers. For a nation grappling with high levels of inequality, it is high time that we review and improve the remuneration and working conditions of the security guards in this country. We can''t continue to look on with arms folded and only make an effort to intervene when the situation spirals out of control. Security companies are some of the most profitable businesses around, but most of these selfish owners do not care about their workers, they only care for their businesses and the millions they rake in on a monthly basis.Guards: An underpaid, overworked lot While many of us are comfortable in our air-conditioned offices and drawing a decent salary each month, many Namibians are not this privileged and continue to work under difficult conditions. The plight of security guards in this country is one that is not taken seriously by many. These officers are often regarded as objects, ill-treated by their bosses, forced to work abnormal hours and sometimes under very dangerous conditions. Yet they are underpaid. It is sad that most firms pay peanuts to these guards who do a very good job at night and during the day. The industry doesn''t take good care of them. The leaders have seemingly turned their backs on them as calls for appropriate legislation and coming up with a decent minimum wage that will allow security guards to take care of their basic needs, simply appears to be nowhere on the horizon. For people who are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of human lives and valuable property, it is shocking that the plight of these people whom we continuously rely on for safety and security is continuously overlooked. These women and men in uniform operate under very difficult conditions and occupy high risk jobs that continuously underpay and exploit them. Until when will our prized security guards continue to survive and tolerate this oppression? Or are they only valuable when it comes to protecting our lives and properties? We salute the gallant efforts of some unions who are confronting security company owners in raising the pay of our security workers. For a nation grappling with high levels of inequality, it is high time that we review and improve the remuneration and working conditions of the security guards in this country. We can''t continue to look on with arms folded and only make an effort to intervene when the situation spirals out of control. Security companies are some of the most profitable businesses around, but most of these selfish owners do not care about their workers, they only care for their businesses and the millions they rake in on a monthly basis.