Dear Friends,
We have deployed watchmen through contractor in our mines premises, especially at the gates and the boundaries, where they basically perform the jobs of watching, and manually logging in register the movements (ingress & egress) of vehicles, checking the materials being transported, and patrolling inside the premises. The contractor pays them the minimum wages of unskilled category, since as per the minimum wages act, 1948, a watchman falls under the unskilled category. However, recently the contractor and we, as principle employer, have been served notice by the LEO (C) for less payment of wages to them, contending that they are not watchman, rather security guards, therefore, are entitled to minimum wages of semi-skilled category. Can someone guide me and let me know what exactly are the differences between a watchman and a security guard, and what factors should be considered while determining whether a person is discharging duty as a watchman or a security guard? Your professional inputs would be of immense help for us in contesting the charges.
Thanks!
VK Sinha
We have deployed watchmen through contractor in our mines premises, especially at the gates and the boundaries, where they basically perform the jobs of watching, and manually logging in register the movements (ingress & egress) of vehicles, checking the materials being transported, and patrolling inside the premises. The contractor pays them the minimum wages of unskilled category, since as per the minimum wages act, 1948, a watchman falls under the unskilled category. However, recently the contractor and we, as principle employer, have been served notice by the LEO (C) for less payment of wages to them, contending that they are not watchman, rather security guards, therefore, are entitled to minimum wages of semi-skilled category. Can someone guide me and let me know what exactly are the differences between a watchman and a security guard, and what factors should be considered while determining whether a person is discharging duty as a watchman or a security guard? Your professional inputs would be of immense help for us in contesting the charges.
Thanks!
VK Sinha