United Voice News
Clean Start for Shopping Centres Victoria: Update 2
Cleaners plan for ACTION!
In this issue:
2. Industrial action takes off at airport
Cleaners plan for ACTION!
Shopping centre cleaners from across Victoria meet to demand change.Shopping centre cleaners around the state are getting together on Tuesday 13 September to discuss their Clean Start campaign.
Delegate at Westfield’s Airport West Shopping Centre, Ofelia Beltran urges everyone to attend.
“It is so important for everyone to get the right knowledge when it comes to the bargaining process,” said Ofelia.
“This affects our jobs and our livelihoods. It affects the whole cleaning industry.”
At an August meeting cleaning members agreed on a list of demands for cleaning contractors to fix the problems crippling the industry.
Now, over 500 cleaners have also had their say about this list by completing a survey. The survey found that:
- 100% said that pay was too low and that we need an annual pay increase
- 100% said that everyone who cleans a toilet should get a toilet allowance and that it should be doubled
- 100% said that cleaners should keep their jobs if a contract change occurs
- 95% said that they did not feel respected at work and wanted their companies to sign a respect charter
- 92% said that if the company makes a mistake with my pay they should pay me a penalty
- 95% agreed that union delegates should be respected by the company and get time off from work for delegate training.
A full survey report will be provided at tomorrow's meeting. Members will decide how to inform the bosses of this list and what will happen if they fail to agree to our demands.
These are the issues Victorian shopping centre cleaners are angry about. Shopping centre cleaners are demanding change and want the companies to finally listen and agree to our demands. It’s time the bosses stop stalling and started signing up to a Clean Start.
“Sticking together and getting informed together makes us powerful. We must raise our voice, stand up and be heard — that’s what it all about,” said Ofelia (pictured, far right).
117-131 Capel Street, North Melbourne
How to get there?
By train: Closest train station is Flagstaff.
By car: There is parking available out the front or at the back of the union office
By tram: 55 or 57 trams
Industrial action takes off at airport
Spotless Cleaning members stop work at Melbourne Airport.
Members have begun industrial action at Melbourne Airport after employer, Spotless Cleaning told them they should be paid $1600 less than other cleaners at the airport.
Spotless members are also fighting for equal pay with other cleaners at the airport, working for ISS Cleaning.
Spotless is refusing to reinstate an airport allowance worth $1600 a year, stripped away during the award-modernisation process last year.
“We deserve the airport allowance and we deserve pay parity with ISS — it’s not fair,” said Spotless delegate Joze Majer.
“We won’t give up until we get what we want. Everyone is united now; everyone is angry.”
Members’ industrial action includes work plans, strikes and stop works.
In July, ISS Cleaning members won a new union agreement that provides annual pay increases of four per cent. It also restores the airport allowance.
The milestone agreement is a first for airport cleaning and places ISS members as the highest paid airport cleaners in the country.
“It’s great news. And now all ISS workers are getting the allowance so that’s made it a lot fairer,” said ISS delegate Kerri Withall.
ISS cleaners say they are right behind their Spotless workmates.
“They deserve to be paid the same as us; everybody should have the airport allowance too,” said Kerrie.
“They are being treated unfairly. What goes for one, should go for all.”
