United Voice

Court documents reveal that cleaning contractor Spotless expects passengers could face filthy and unhygienic conditions at Melbourne Airport from ongoing strike action by cleaners.
 
The revelations come as Spotless cleaners dramatically step up their campaign to be paid no less than other cleaners at Melbourne Airport, announcing indefinite rolling strike action starting from today.

In a hearing before Fair Work Australia, Con Baltatzis, state operations manager for Spotless, admitted that strike action by cleaners could have a “dramatic” impact on cleanliness at the airport, which serves around 55,000 passengers a day.

Asked in court about the impact of a one-hour stoppage, Baltatzis said: “It could be dramatic, depending on the traffic... toilets get missed, you've got filthy toilets, you've got people complaining.”

He added that passengers could also see urine on the floor and overflowing bins.

“There could be a huge impact on the toilets. It’s not rocket science,” Baltatzis said.

Ben Redford, Assistant Victorian Secretary of United Voice, the Cleaners Union, said Spotless is taking risks with public hygiene by refusing to pay its cleaners in the Qantas domestic terminal a $1600 allowance that other cleaners at the airport receive. 

“For weeks, Spotless has been saying that strike action by cleaners will have no impact on cleaners, but thanks to these frank legal admissions we now know that’s not true.”

“In fact, the impact on passengers is going to be enormous — they are going to be confronted all week with filthy toilets, dirty food courts and overflowing rubbish bins.”

Spotless’s admissions came as it attempted to use the courts to block the right of its workers to stop work by making a legal application to stop further strikes going ahead.

The legal attempt failed and rolling stoppages are now planned for every day until Spotless agrees to pay its cleaners fairly.

“Families using Melbourne Airport this school holidays are going to be facing disruption simply because Spotless will not pay its cleaners the same allowance as other cleaners doing the same job in the same airport,” Redford says.

“Most of the cleaners on strike are earning around $16.50 an hour, so the $1600 allowance Spotless is denying them makes all the difference in supporting their families.”

“We don’t want to unduly inconvenience families travelling this week, so cleaners have issued a survival guide for everyone using the airport,” Redford adds.

The survival guide, circulated through Twitter and Facebook (http://pic.twitter.com/KM6yC9u), advises travellers to bring toilet paper and hand sanitiser.

“Judging by Spotless’s admissions in court, they also appear to believe travellers should avoid the toilets in Melbourne Airport and should go on the plane or before they leave home,” he says.

The contractor also admitted in court that it used a “shadow workforce” to try and break the strikes, prompting United Voice to call in the airport security watchdog to investigate potential security breaches.

“It appears that Spotless would rather take shortcuts on security and cleanliness than pay its hard-working cleaners fairly,” he says.

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