Employees at Blue Hackle Limited, a Kigali-based security firm have accused their employer of subjecting them to harsh working conditions. The employees include guards and supervisors. The guards claim they have not been paid for the last two months while some supervisors say they have gone seven months without payment. The guards visited The New Times offices in Kimihurura on Saturday to give their side. “It is terrible at Blue Hackle. Sometimes, a guard is deployed upcountry without money for accommodation and food allowances,” one of the employees who spoke on condition that he not be named claimed. The work at Blue Hackle Limited offices in Kiyovu reportedly came to a standstill, following a brief strike by the guards last Friday. The guards reportedly confiscated some office properties including computers, they however reportedly returned the properties after ‘peaceful talks.’ Blue Hackle Limited is a British registered firm and is charged with protecting properties belonging to Rwandatel, a mobile phone and Internet service providing company. They accused the company’s finance manager Julienne Munyabarenzi of running the security firm like a personal business, a claim she denied yesterday. “Those who are making such allegations are being unfair to us. We are processing their bank documents and they will be paid soon,” said Munyabarenzi yesterday by phone. The company’s Regional Manager Mike Gibson had traveled to Nairobi and could not give his comment. The guards said they had in the past complained to management about the unfair treatment but the management had turned deaf ear. “We have no option and that is why we have decided to come to The New Times,” another guard said. When contacted, Daniel Ntambara, the Company’s Country Manager admitted that the guards had not been paid for some time but said they were processing the documents and they would soon receive their money. Ends
