Fort Point Security fires guards who protested pay cut
Fort Point Security Services is back in the news as a number of guards discovered they had been fired over the weekend. Several officers who reported to work this morning said letters, some of which were not even signed, were delivered to their homes during the last several days. The officers, all of whom had taken part in a two-day strike action last week, told us they are convinced their dismissals were a direct result of their decision to protest a drastic pay cut reflected in their paychecks last Tuesday. But on Thursday things appeared to have calmed down after the Labour Department intervened and the officers decided to return to their jobs while investigations were conducted. However, by late Friday evening the first of the dismissal letters had already been sent out. When the officers showed up this morning at the company’s Eyre Street office to query the letter, they—as well as we—found out that it was not business as usual. The shutters were pulled down and Fort Point Security’s Acting General Manager, Carmen Zetina, was not in office. The letters do not state a reason for the dismissals, although the officers feel it was because they took strike action. It should be noted that on Thursday Zetina told us that while he could not guarantee any officer his job, he did not intend to fire anyone.
Carmen Zetina, Ag. Gen. Man., Fort Point Security Services
“These people who have walked out without justification—I call it without justification—from the Tourist Village, came in the realm of being dismissed because they gave me reason for being absent from work.”
Marion Ali
”So they, will they be fired? Will you look at them now …”
Carmen Zetina
”No, no. I said look, in the security business you noh fire anybody yoh know, because this is an ongoing business. You terminate, you dismiss because of behaviour. Yes man, yes.”
Marion Ali
”They won’t be dismissed, that’s what I’m asking you, because of going on strike.”
Carmen Zetina
”Because of what they have done, no. But remember this, that you employ people. In other words, a security guard is not guaranteed an employment because you work, as I mentioned to you, on a clients basis. What is needed, what is required, you employ people.”
John Campos, Dismissed Security Guard
“I was at the office like early morning and like when I come in back at five-thirty my supervisor gave me a letter n my hand. And when I opened the letter and I read it; my service is no longer required. For what? The letter said no reason weh they fire me fah. You know, because I fight fi my rights and fi everybody rights out yah then he want come try fire me. After weh he done seh pan di media dat he noh wah fire nobody because everybody want wah job. Marion, out yah hard, me noh di work fi no red cross. Everybody out yah mek wah good salary and then this dah weh Zetina wah come try do with we; tek out wah big margin outta fi we money weh we done work hard fah. Come on, we di work twelve hours a day. With twelve hours a day we supposed to di mek fifty four dollars. Weh the four dollars get to? Weh the four dollars get to? We shouldn’t mek no fifty dollars fi di day, that obvious. Because I fight fi my rights and deh people rights because we gat family fi feed and bill fi pay then he wah come try do we this? No man, he have to go. But we wah ker it pan wah further level and we wah ker ah dah court.”
Veronica Kerr, Dismissed Security Guard
“One ah my friend call me and tell me gial they got everybody letter weh gone gone strike. Ih seh they got all ah we letter. So I seh weh happen, mines deh deh? Ih seh yes yours deh deh and dah so ih seh I done get your letter and reader, they di terminate yoh from yoh job. They noh want yoh no more. I seh oh ok, no problem. Then ih seh yo want ah bring fi yo or what? I seh if you wish to ih no really matta me bout the letter. So da so comes I get mi letter. We are fighting for our rights because nobody noh—this dah noh slavery days. Slavery days done long time and with me I work thirteen days straight and all weh they pay me fah dah five days and hold back five from me.”
Gilfred Magdaleno, Dismissed Security Guard
“They gave me four days off and I was to come back to work on Tuesday, tomorrow. When I heard about the letter I came by the office and this is the result here.”
Marion Ali
“So you heard there was a letter here for you?”
Gilfred Magdaleno
“Yes, exactly. The letter is stating that I’m terminated from the job so I noh know—without no reason at all so I don’t know what is the problem.”
Marion Ali
“What do you feel is the reason behind it?”
Gilfred Magdaleno
“The reason behind it is so obvious. This is the result here because we protest about our money.”
News Five understands that there may be more letters of termination yet to be sent out to officers who went on strike last week. Today we learned that the Labour Department has sent a letter to Fort Point Security’s management containing stipulations which they must follow, although we do not know exactly what those stipulations are. Meanwhile, the officers are also seeking legal advice on their own accord.
