United Voice

Most domestic passengers flying in or out of Melbourne on Friday will pass through dirty airports as industrial action by cleaners spreads to Avalon Airport and airport cleaners at Tullamarine commence a second weekend of strike action.

The stoppages will begin overnight and run through tomorrow as cleaners working for Spotless at both airports stop work in protest at the contractor’s refusal to pay them a $1600 allowance that other airport cleaners receive.

“Cleaners at Melbourne Airport are standing firm in refusing to accept less money for doing the same job as other airport cleaners, and now cleaners at Avalon are joining them,” says Ben Redford, Assistant Victorian Secretary of United Voice, the Cleaners Union.

“So if you’re flying in or out of Melbourne on Friday, it’s going to be hard to avoid a dirty airport,” Redford says.

“Most of the cleaners who are going on strike only earn around $16.50 an hour. They are doing it tough, so the $1600 that other cleaners receive for doing the same job could make all the difference when it comes to supporting their families,” he says.

Friday’s rolling stoppages follow a weekend of similar action last week at Melbourne Airport, and a 24-hour strike on Monday.

“Now the cleaners who keep Avalon Airport hygienic and looking its best are joining the cleaners at Melbourne Airport’s Qantas domestic terminal in strike action,” Redford says.

“Just like their colleagues at Tullamarine, the cleaners at Avalon Airport simply cannot understand why they should be paid $1600 a year less than cleaners at Melbourne Airport’s international and Virgin terminals, who do the very same job,” he says.

In July, airport cleaners working in the international terminal for ISS Cleaning won a new union agreement that provides annual pay increases of four per cent. It also restores an airport allowance that was stripped away during the award-modernisation process.

Airport cleaners have met with Spotless four times since April. Initially, it refused to even meet, but Fair Work Australia ordered it to do so via a majority-support determination.

“Cleaners have worked hard to avoid strike action, but Spotless is stubbornly refusing to fix this injustice. This is a tiny amount of money for Spotless, whose annual revenue is $2.5b.”

“Spotless’s refusal to do the right thing by some of the lowest-paid workers in the country has left cleaners with no choice but to go on strike,” says Redford.

“But cleaners don’t want to ruin the day for passengers on Friday, so they are issuing a survival guide to get them through a dirty airport,” he adds.

The survival guide is being circulated to interstate footy fans and other travellers via Twitter and Facebook (http://twitpic.com/6gstk8/full) advising travellers use the toilets on the plane before landing and bring their own toilet paper and soap.

Early this month, an Australian Electoral Commission ballot of cleaners returned 95 per cent support for industrial action.

But Spotless seems hell-bent on forcing a strike, continuing to tell cleaners they should be paid $1600 less than other cleaners at Melbourne Airport.

Further info: Adam Cathro, United Voice, Media Officer, 0413 239 665