Private Security Races To The Bottom

The last time I was in Uganda back in early 2008 I recall a group of men in a cafe discussing the many Ugandans that were taking jobs with private security firms in Iraq. This came as a surprise to me as I just didn't think that these firms would be recruiting in Uganda. A couple of weeks ago a Ugandan friend of mine informed me that his brother was shipped off to Iraq just a few months ago. It's not because he was eager to join the American occupation of Iraq, but rather because jobs in Uganda are scarce and he was desperate to find a job that could support his family (Who can blame someone wanting to provide for their family?). Thus, he considered the risks of Iraq to be worth taking in exchange for the payment he would be receiving. For the record there are some 12,000 Ugandans that have been hired by American private security firms to serve in Iraq. When I heard that these were American firms I thought it interesting that they were now hiring in Uganda and elsewhere. The first thing that came to me was that I suspected they were now recruiting in these areas because they could get away with paying lower wages. In other words, exploit the lack of opportunity in Uganda and pay people a reduced salary that, because of their situation they would accept and join your war. Pretty much the underbelly of capitalism. It's similar to factories being shipped overseas because corporations can get away with exploiting the lower wages of less developed countries. Well, in today's paper my suspicions were confirmed. The paper reported that the American security firms were reducing the salaries of their guards from $800/month to $600/month despite having a contractual agreement with their employees. The reason given by the American security firms for the decrease in salaries was because people from other countries such as the Philippines were willing to work in Iraq for as little as $300-$400/month. So the security companies argued that they were doing the Ugandans a favor by only reducing their salaries by $200. One has to wonder once their contracts expire if the new offer will be $400 or lower. Already, agencies that recruit in Uganda on behalf of the American firms are claiming they can send people willing to go to Iraq for a reduced salary. I find this disgusting. The thirst to maximize the bottom-line (profits) will allow these companies to exploit people that are desperate for work by forcing them to compete with others in a similar situation in a race to accepting work in one of the most dangerous places on Earth for the lowest wage possible. In essence, the lowest bidder wins the chance to risk their lives in a fight against other marginalized people that have already been suffering for years and are also desperate to provide for their families. It would be nice if these firms would instead invest in these countries by seeking to provide opportunities and jobs that actually contribute positively to their countries and communities. Perhaps that would lead to the best security of all. Sadly, somewhere, someone is making a bundle of cash off the suffering of others.

later.