United Voice

Cleaners at Melbourne Airport are kicking off a weekend of strike action today, warning footy fans flying into Melbourne for finals games they could be confronted with filthy toilets, dirty food courts and overflowing bins.

Rolling stoppages began at 5.30am this morning and will continue through the weekend. Business travellers are also being warned to expect disruption when the strikes culminate in a 24-hour stop-work on Sunday at 10pm.

Cleaners in the Qantas domestic terminal are protesting Spotless’s refusal to reinstate a $1600 airport allowance, which cleaners working for ISS in the Virgin and international terminals receive for doing the very same work.

“Cleaners have worked hard to avoid strike action, but Spotless insists on paying them $1600 less than other cleaners at the airport for doing the very same job,” says Ben Redford, Assistant Victorian Secretary of United Voice, the Cleaners Union.

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

“Most of the striking cleaners are earning around $16.50 an hour, so the $1600 allowance Spotless is denying them makes all the difference when it comes to paying their bills and supporting their families.”

“But cleaners don’t want to ruin the weekend for footy fans flying in to barrack for their team, so they have issued a survival guide to get them through a dirty airport,” he adds.

The survival guide is being circulated to footy fans through 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.

West Coast will play Collingwood on Saturday at the MCG, while Sydney meets St Kilda on Sunday at Etihad. In the NRL, Newcastle Knights play Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park.

“Around 55,000 people pass through Melbourne Airport each day, and cleaners must work very hard to keep it hygienic. Without them doing this essential job, the airport is going to get very dirty very quickly,” Redford says.

“So if you’re flying in to cheer on your team today or tomorrow, you should brace yourself for an unclean airport,” Redford says. “And business travellers departing from or arriving in Melbourne on Monday should go to the toilet before they leave home.”

Last week, an Australian Electoral Commission ballot of cleaners returned 95 per cent support for industrial action. On Friday, cleaners met Spotless for urgent crisis talks in a last-ditch bid to avert strike 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.

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.

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