- Can Car Guards Earn a Living Wage?
- Are Car Guards Employees?
- How Much of Your Tip Goes Into Your Car Guard’s Pocket?
- What Minimum Qualifications Does a Car Guard Need?
With unemployment rates amongst South Africa’s working population at staggering numbers – 7.9 Million and an official rate of 34.5%, according to Stats SA, most people who find themselves facing this vicious reality often resort to the informal sector as means to earn a living.
As such car guards watching over vehicles for motorists in public areas such as malls and small shopping complexes have become an increasingly common sight in our city. With consistently high levels of crime and unemployment car guarding has become a viable means to earn a hand to mouth living in the informal sector due to low barriers of entry. According to Stats SA registration of car guards exists from the data bases of the agencies (Security Companies / Labour Brokers – the industry in which they operate is oftentimes not clear) that recruit them. However there are no accurate number of how many car guards actually operate within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
Regardless of the above car guarding still remains a source of livelihood for many residents in this city. In the Nelson Mandela Bay there are several relatively large malls and smaller shopping complexes where car guards can be seen operating. In the NMB there are 5 major malls namely The Boardwalk Mall in Summerstrand, Walmer Park Shopping Centre, Greenacres Shopping Centre, MetLife shopping Center and most recently Corkwood Square Mall in Kariega. In all parking bay’s of the malls above car guards can be seen operating on a daily basis under any weather conditions and some without adequate uniform which is standardized for the work they do. Car guards in these malls are forced to work excessive hours with no time given for relief such as break or lunch time.
As if working under such unfriendly conditions is not bad enough car guards are faced with a daily obstacle that hinders their ability to survive from the tips they receive from well meaning motorists and shoppers. On a daily basis car guards are forced to pay standing fees, that’s the price a car guard has to pay for the parking Bay they are allocated. Research from the North West University School of Economic Sciences found that many car guards struggle financially due to these daily fees that have to be paid regardless of a car guard’s daily income.
The agencies that recruit car guards charge different amounts as they operate on different sites. At the Boardwalk Mall in Summerstrand for instance, one of the security companies responsible for the car guards operating in the parking charges between R90 and R120 on a daily basis regardless how much the Car Guards earn from the tips they receive.
Car guards are not formally employed by these agencies they receive no form of remuneration or salary. No paid or sick leave and no benefits. In many cases the agencies may sell or rent out branded uniform and or security equipment to the car guards which they have to pay for with the tips they receive in addition to the standing fees that have to be paid everyday. By the nature of work car guards do, and their dispersal over different sites, car guards remain vulnerable to abusive and unfair labour practices such as exploitation and extortion. The tight control imposed on them by the agencies often means they cannot join or form any union and negotiate a minimum wage. The site supervisors deployed by the agencies ensure tight control to make sure those who don’t pay don’t work at the site.
In most cases these site supervisors practice unfair or abusive authority on the car guards such as forcing them to pay excessive fines for failing to report for duty or being absent without leave. In many ways these agencies simply operate as unregulated labour brokers.
In some rare cases shopping Center management may prohibit the agencies from charging daily standing or bay fees. Or even more unusual car guards can stand united and collectively refuse to pay. However in reality the above rarely happens as car guards are often afraid to speak up because they might lose their income.
In addition to being exploited and subjected to intolerable working conditions. Car guards also experience verbal abuse or may have a toxic working relationship with the supervisor of that particular site. Furthermore these car guarding agencies and supervisors provide no support to their guards. For instance if a complaint is raised against a car guard by a member of the public or motorist for any misconduct that car guard can or will be immediately dismissed regardless of who is to blame.
According to South African labour law car guards are supposed to be protected however in practice their employment circumstances make it extremely difficult for any of their labour rights to be enforced. The basic conditions of employment act was amended in 2015 to include car guards under the sectional determination of private security. This resulted in car guards being forced to obtain a grade e certification.
In order to gain a Grade E Qualification prospective car guards have to attend and pay for a week long training course followed by an annual membership fee to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA).
As a result of the above some agencies decided to sidestep the law by renaming the job Customer Trolley assistant. Although the workers still act as car guards and continue to pay standing / Bay fees. PSIRA’s attempt to formalize car guarding without any participation from the workers themselves may have in fact jeopardized livelihoods for the workers. In addition to paying for the week long PSIRA Grade E training car guards still have to pay a monthly PSIRA membership fee and standing / Bay fees charged by the agencies daily.
It is evident throughout malls and shopping complexes in the Nelson Mandela Bay that car guarding remains a source of living for a significant number of families in the Metro. Factors such as slumps in the economy daily standing fees and automation such as boom gates in many shopping complexes and businesses have resulted in a drastic deterioration in the income of car guards.
It should also be emphasized that management of the malls and shopping complexes which car guards are deployed need to be charged with the responsibility of ensuring that car guards are treated fairly and are not subjected to exploitation and abusive labour practices either from the agencies or site supervisors.
Car guards provide a very valuable service to the motorists and shoppers that park in these centers.
In municipal areas outside of Nelson Mandela Bay, there are initiatives aimed at regulating and formalizing car guarding. Kalk Bay Municipality for instance is spearheading an initiative to reduce the risk of potential crimes associated with unregulated car guards. The Simons Town Community Policing forum has recently launched a project to train and then hire car park attendants in collaboration with law enforcement agencies. Such examples can and should be adapted in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to help improve working conditions for car guards and to protect them from abusive labour practices inflicted on them by these car guard agencies.
Costs to Become and Hold a Job as a Car Guard:
- PSIRA Registration: R290
- Grade E Training: R800 to R900 once off
- PSIRA Annual Registration Fee: R120
- Uniform: R130 to R240 – can be paid off on a daily basis
- Standing Fees: R40 to R120 per day site dependant
- Fines: If unable to work on a day companies will still charge the standing fee plus a R100 fine
Approximate Earnings:
- Daily earnings are heavily dependent upon which Shopping Center, Time of Week and Season.
- Average daily earnings after paying standing fees range from R200.00 (on weekdays) to R300.00 (on weekends).
- Earnings do increase based on the Seasons – higher during Christmas.
Threats to the Car Guard Industry:
- Less people carry cash
- Bad working conditions only attract bad players
- General economic conditions worsening
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Alan Straton
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