United Voice News
Graduate cleaners in front line in the fight against swine flu
The employment prospects of eight Canberra residents dramatically increased today despite yesterday's announcement that unemployment in the ACT has increased.
They are the first graduates in a pilot program to increase skills of ACT workers and to provide employers with a more highly skilled workforce. The program is an initiative of the LHMU – The cleaners’ union and the ACT Branch of BSCAA, the Building Services Contractors Association of Australia. It is supported by the ACT Government.
Lyndal Ryan, ACT Branch Secretary of the LHMU - The cleaners' union says:
"These workers' training includes an additional module covering the prevention of infectious diseases, which makes them particularly suitable for work in hospitals and other health facilities.
"Six of the ACT leading companies will be present to offer employment on the premium wages and conditions available under the Clean Start Agreement. Two of the companies present hold the contracts for cleaning at ACT major hospitals. One graduate has already been offered a job and we’re confident the others will too,” says Lyndal Ryan.
Mark Rolfe, Executive Member, BSCAA says "The cleaning industry has had a poor reputation in relation to training and general conditions of employment, the Clean Start Agreement and industry initiatives such as this will see an improvement to standards in our industry.
"The work cleaners do is often taken for granted. Yet we all rely on them to clean our offices, schools and hospitals. The current pandemic just highlights the need to maintain clean and healthy environments."
