United Voice

Court documents reveal that cleaning contractor Spotless employed a “shadow workforce” to attempt to break a strike at Melbourne Airport, prompting a request to Australia’s airport security watchdog to investigate potential breaches of strict security regulations.

In a hearing before Fair Work Australia, Con Baltatzis, state operations manager for Spotless, admitted hiring a “shadow workforce” of cleaners through a subcontractor as its workers strike to win a $1600 allowance that other Melbourne Airport cleaners receive.

Baltatzis conceded that the strike-breakers have been hired through an obscure subcontractor. Many have never worked in the airport before — and do not appear to have the same strict security clearances as the company’s striking cleaners.

“We’re deeply concerned that Spotless may be taking short-cuts on security at the one place where it counts most — the airport,” says Ben Redford, Assistant Victorian Secretary of United Voice, the Cleaners Union. 

United Voice has asked the Transport Security Coordination Centre to investigate at least eight alleged breaches of security by unauthorised personnel at Melbourne Airport when cleaners there went on strike earlier this month.

“Tight security is there for a reason, and that is why cleaners are asking the airport security watchdog to investigate Spotless’s actions,” Redford says.

Cleaners at the airport’s Qantas domestic terminal began strike action earlier this month.

Cleaners require a valid ASIC (Aviation Security Identification Cards) pass as part of the strict security standards in place at Melbourne Airport. However, Redford says, Spotless appears to have sent strike-breaking cleaners into the airport without full security clearance — instead using temporary visitors’ passes.

Spotless’s admission that it hired workers without ASIC passes came as it attempted to use the courts to block the right of its workers to take industrial action by making a legal application to stop further strikes going ahead as planned on Friday.

The legal attempt failed and strike action went ahead. Further industrial action is planned for Friday and through the weekend.

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

“The courts ruled that strike action by cleaners is perfectly legal. Spotless was clearly attempting to use the courts to stop the strikes because the strikes are having an impact.”

“In fact, we have received reports that many passengers lodged complaints about the filthy state of the airport last weekend,” Redford says.

“Instead of resorting to the courts and strike-breakers to end perfectly legitimate strike action, it should listen to its workers and pay them the same as other cleaners in the airport,” he adds.

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