United Voice News
A Clean Start coming to ACT schools
Canberra's schools are about to become cleaner and safer.
Forty school cleaners are about to begin the first group training sessions under the ACT Government's new standardised contract terms. The training will be official opened by Joy Burch MLA, Member for Brindabella at 4 pm tomorrow, Thursday 23 April 2009.
Lyndal Ryan, Secretary of the ACT Branch of the LHMU – The cleaners' union says "Parents and teachers recognise cleaners have an important role in our schools.
"We're delighted the ACT Government agrees and congratulate them on this initiative. It's an important step in creating better jobs and fairer working conditions for Canberra's hard-working cleaners.
"The training will better equip school cleaners to provide the quality service essential in our schools. It will cover occupational safety and workplace rights as well as assessing further skills training needs.
"This and other measures recently implemented by the Government means ACT schools will be cleaner, safer places for our community.
"Cleaners of non-English speaking backgrounds from ten Canberra schools will have their first chance to come together to compare experiences and to learn from each other.
"All the cleaners participating in the programme are employed by Hygiene Plus, the first contractor to win a significant number of contracts since the new system took effect late last year.
"Sessions like these will be conducted in school holiday periods twice a year.
"The training begins after three long years of Clean Start fair deal for cleaners campaigning by Canberra's cleaners. The Clean Start campaign was launched in 2006 by the Minister of Education Andrew Barr," says Lyndal Ryan.
