INDIVIDUALS with a limited income complain about the increase in the cost of rent and consumer items. They say that their salaries are not enough to meet their needs. However, there are others who suffer from greater financial difficulties and are barely able to make ends meet. Why newspapers do not shed light on their miserable condition is beyond me. Look at school guards and how poor they are. This was detailed in a report recently on Sabq.org. A school guard wakes at 6 a.m. and works until 3 p.m. His duties are various: he has to stand guard at the school gate, keep a close eye on students and ensure that parents collect them. When parents or guardians are late, he will remain standing even if it is for a couple of hours. The school guard will never leave students and go home. For his dedication, the guard receives no more than SR3,000 a month. Former Minister of Education Dr. Azzam Al-Dakhil promised to improve the work conditions of schools guards a few days before he was relieved of his position. I hope Dr. Ahmed Al-Isa, the new minister, gives attention to them and improves their lives. Security guards are also poorly paid. Most of them are young men who stand guard at banks, companies, universities, malls, entertainment parks, etc. They work eight hours a day, six days a week in difficult and harsh circumstances during hot and cold weather. Their job is risky and involves interacting with the public. Sometimes they are attacked or insulted just because of doing their job. They work under a lot of pressure and are not paid more than SR2,000. They are deprived of other perks and incentives such as allowances and health insurance, etc. Security companies make them work hard but pay them little and deprive them of their rights. Security personnel guarding a bank that has billions inside are only paid SR1,500. I call upon human rights committees and government agencies to see to it that these workers are paid fairly and receive the allowances that they deserve.
