Dh1,200 minimum salary for guards

The Dubai Police protection systems department director Colonel Khalifa Al Sulais said that February onwards, there would be unified employment contracts for the 27,000 security guards working in the emirate’s approximately 300 private security firms — which guarantees all guards a minimum wage.
He said the contract stipulates that guard salaries will be raised to a minimum Dh1,200, plus 20 per cent of the basic salary for a security allowance for dangerous professions.
The contracts also stipulate work accommodation and transportation to and from work must be included. Colonel Al Sulais said Dubai police had held meetings with the companies and distributed the new contracts to companies. Companies that failed to abide by the terms of the contracts had been warned they will be in breach of the law fine and their businesses suspended until compliance.


He said that according to the contract criteria guards should have qualifications and one week of proper training, to be organised by the Dubai Police Academy before joining, with the training certified by a British security guard training firm.
Existing guards would have to undergo the training, while new guards must attend the one-week training course on fire-fighting and first-aid on arrival.
At the end of the training the guards will be tested by specialists and those that pass will then be licenced to work as security guards. “Nobody will be allowed to work as a security guard before obtaining the licence,” Colonel Al Sulais said.
Guards who transported money would also get new protection equipment, including a helmet, batons and safety shoes.
The Dubai Police protection systems department’s private security section head Lieutenant Khaled Al Hamadi said security companies had welcomed the decision to introduce the new measures. Companies had told him they had prepared their budgets on the basis of the new proposed salaries over the past few months, he said.
Al Hamadi said the number of security guards will not decrease after implementing the new contracts, as they would implement a recruitment drive.
He said currently the majority of sectors did not have enough guards and there was increasing demand for the profession. He added that security guards played an important role in preserving security and their jobs were an integral part of police work.