Most of the security guards interviewed said they were working without employment contracts that protect their rights, were not given any paid vacation time and did not receive social security benefits despite employers deducting money from their salaries for social security.

With no set minimum wage for private sector employees, the guards said they, like many others, were underpaid and had to resort to working long hours or taking up second jobs.

Muhammad Al-Khair, a security guard in a private company, said that he worked everyday as a bus driver for six hours just to earn SR50. He added, "My salary is only SR1,660 a month. I am a father of two and this salary is not enough to support my family.”

Al-Khair asked why there were no job benefits and minimum wage for them. He said, “Some of us are forced to work double shifts in case a colleague is absent. We do not earn enough money for the extra time we put on this job. Not only that, but sometimes we are fired for no reason."

Al-Khair related that he did not get any copy of his contract. He said, "They refuse to give me a copy of my contract to make sure that we will not ask for our rights. There is nothing to prove our rights in case someone gets fired. I was fired once without any reason. After two months, when many others left, the owner of the security company wanted to bring me back to work. I refused to return, because I am not a toy he can play with.”

Another security guard, who did not wish to mention his name, said, "Once a person is employed at a security company, the pain and suffering will start. When we want to complain about something, administration refers us to the supervisor. When we go to the supervisor, he informs us that the complaint has reached the administration and we are repeatedly sent back and forth without anyone ever addressing our complaint."

He added that most workers did not have a weekly day off. The only time off they enjoyed was when they were fired from the job. Annual vacation for most security guards consists of 20 unpaid days a year.

Another security guard, who also did not wish to reveal his name, complained of a lack of training for the job.

“Although the job can be dangerous, most security companies just tell employees to wear the uniform and report for duty. If we face a thief, we are expected to apprehend him with our bare hands or with the aid of a stick.”