Informal work conditions in private security: perspectives from the Nicaraguan migrant

Abstract

Introduction: This study shows the perceptions that the so-called «Guachimanes» have about their informal working conditions on the issue of security in Costa Rica. Despite the important role that these people play and the wide perception of insecurity in the country, little is known in whose hands the safety of the neighborhood is, much less its working conditions.

Objetive: Due to the above, this study explores the informal work conditions in private security from the perceptions of the Nicaraguan migrant, to describe from their own experiences, to demonstrate and reflect on the work environment and the dignity of their labor rights and as human beings.

Method and technique: This is an exploratory study with qualitative nature, the data were compiled through a methodological instrument of semi-structured interviews in different neighborhoods of the Gran Área Metropolitana (GAM) chosen directly upper-middle-class neighborhoods, in which the cabins and boom gates were present.

[Continue reading in the article]