Security guards in Guwahati report exhausting shifts, poor pay, and lack of basic labour protections
They stand at the gates of housing societies, guard ATMs, and secure offices with their ever-watchful presence. In the rapid expansion of urban development across Guwahati, the private security sector has emerged as one of the largest employers.
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Yet behind the crisp uniforms lies a grim reality of systemic exploitation. Thousands of security guards across the city and other parts of Assam are quietly enduring gruelling working conditions that, they say, violate basic labour rights.
Among the most widespread practices are 10–12-hour shifts, the denial of weekly off days, and the absence of legally mandated overtime compensation.
For the vast majority of private security guards in Guwahati, the concept of an eight-hour workday remains a distant norm. Instead, 10–12-hour shifts have become standard practice. Workers are routinely compelled to stand or remain alert for nearly half a day, reducing human effort to continuous mechanical vigilance inside security booths, often in harsh weather conditions.
This schedule leaves little to no time for rest, personal care, or family interaction, resulting in severe fatigue.
The worst aspect, according to workers, is the complete absence of a weekly day off. As per labour norms, every worker in India is legally entitled to at least one mandatory rest day each week. However, a majority of security guards, except a few employed by well-established agencies headquartered outside Guwahati, are forced to work 30 days a month without a single break.
If a worker falls sick or needs emergency leave, they say that they face wage deductions or even threats of termination.
This relentless cycle, they say, takes a serious toll on both physical health and mental well-being, leading to chronic exhaustion.
Compounding this situation is what they describe as financial injustice in the form of denial of overtime pay. Indian labour laws stipulate that any work beyond the standard 48-hour weekly limit must be compensated as overtime, typically at double the hourly wage rate.
In practice, workers say, agencies bypass this requirement and deny these benefits. Guards are instead paid a flat monthly salary that barely meets with minimum wage standards, effectively resulting in four hours of unpaid labour each day.
The human cost of this system is best understood through the voices of the guards themselves.
"We are bound to work 12 hours a day on all days of a month. We earn just ₹290 a day, without any other perks," a mid-aged security guard in Guwahati told GPlus.
The security guard working for JD Intelligence Security Services (JDISS), a Guwahati-based agency, said the working conditions are inhumane.
“We demand a basic salary of some standard, and we surely deserve a weekly off,” he said.
He added that another guard working in the same apartment faces similar issues. “Both of us work 12 hours each,” he said.
GPlus spoke to several security guards employed by different Guwahati-based security service providers to understand the ground reality.
A 26-year-old security guard from Jorhat district, working for Omega Security Solutions, said he works 12 hours a day without a weekly off.
"Working 12 hours a day, we earn only ₹12,000 salary. In case I take a day off, my salary would be deducted. Even if it's a sick leave, ₹400 would be deducted per day," he said.
A security guard originally from Mangaldoi and employed with the same agency shared a similar experience.
According to him, these conditions are not isolated to a single agency but are widespread.
Two security guards working for another Guwahati-based agency also told GPlus that they work 12 hours daily without a single day off throughout the month.
"God forbid, if something untoward incidents happen under our watch, we are scolded by our supervisors and the office we guard. We deserve much better salary and other perks," one of the PUS guards said, with the other standing beside him and echoing the same concerns.
Several guards also said that salaries are often disbursed on the 17th or 18th of the month instead of the first week, which is the norm in other sectors.
A former security guard who worked for a Guwahati-based agency said the delayed salary system serves a strategic purpose.
“One will be deprived of the 17–18 days of wage in case he/she leaves the job soon after the salary is credited,” he said. “We will be subjected to run from pillar to post if we come back and demand our salary for those 17–18 days. The manager, in one way or another, will try to delay it. Ultimately, we lose out on our money.”
The exploitation, workers say, is widespread across Guwahati, with only a few exceptions.
Another middle-aged guard employed at a commercial complex on GS Road by Omega Security Solutions described similar exhaustion and poor compensation.
"They expect us to be vigilant and active for 12 straight hours. We barely have space to sit down. We are paid the bare minimum, and even that is often delayed by weeks,” he said.
A security guard working for AIS Management Solutions said he earns ₹14,000 a month and believes the salary should be increased to at least ₹20,000.
“We work 9 hours a day. We are provided with 4 days off in a month. It’s up to us how we encash the leaves. We request that our monthly salary should be around ₹20,000,” he said, who’s guarding a prominent business establishment in Guwahati.
Another guard employed by Mumbai-headquartered Boparia’s Martial said he too does not receive weekly off days.
“I receive ₹14,000 without a weekly off. I work all seven days. I demand that salary should at least become ₹20,000 with a weekly off,” he said. According to him, the agency primarily serves banking establishments.
After speaking with the guards, GPlus also contacted some of the agencies. They stated that they provide weekly offs, salaries as per government norms, and working hours in accordance with regulations. They denied any irregularities. Some also said they would provide further details later.
However, GPlus observed that not all security guards are subjected to such conditions of excessive hours without weekly off.
A supervisor working for NIS Management Private Limited, a Kolkata-headquartered security agency, said guards employed by the company earn comparatively higher wages.
“On average, a security guard working in Guwahati earns Rs 800 a day. They are entitled to a weekly off and receive PF, ESIC benefits, and festival bonuses,” the supervisor told GPlus. “We have a good working environment. We equip them with safety and emergency training. They also get yearly leave allowances.”
A security guard working for Bengaluru-based Terrier Security Services said they receive basic facilities, including weekly offs, PF, and ESIC benefits.
“We work 10 hours a day and we also receive overtime fees,” he said.
The persistence of such exploitation is due to a lack of regulatory oversight. Many security agencies are said to evade statutory compliance, frequently flouting established labour guidelines. Labour offices, workers say, rarely conduct surprise inspections, and even when violations are reported, action tends to be slow and inconclusive.
To address this crisis, workers and observers suggest a comprehensive strengthening of enforcement mechanisms. Independent labour audits, they argue, must be conducted regularly across residential and commercial establishments to ensure compliance with the 48-hour weekly cap and other labour norms.
Security guards protect lives, property, and public order every day. It is time, they say, that the system ensures protection of theirs as well.
A senior official from the Assam labour department told GPlus that inspections are conducted regularly do field inspections for any such labour law violations and ensure the norms are strictly followed.
"From time to time, whenever we get specific inputs, we do field visits to enforce rule of law against those private institutions who violate any necessary norms," the official said.
The official asked this correspondent to provide specific inputs on work hour and other violations, assuring that his office will accordingly sensitise them.
"We have staff who does field inspections. Please give us specific details and we will send out our staff and get it checked on ground if there's any labour law violation," he assured.
Ultimately, the situation highlights the gap between statutory labour protections and their enforcement in Guwahati’s private security sector. While security guards play a vital role in safeguarding residential, financial, and commercial spaces, many continue to report long hours, inadequate rest, and limited social protection. Without stronger enforcement and greater accountability among agencies, these concerns are likely to persist, leaving those who protect others without adequate safeguards themselves.