NSW:Sydney centre cleaners walk off the job

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2011
NSW:Sydney centre cleaners walk off the job

SYDNEY, Nov 30 AAP - Shopping centre cleaners are preparing to walk off the job in
Sydney as part of a national campaign targeting the busy Christmas shopping season.

Cleaners employed by Spotless will kickstart industrial action with a rally outside
Westfield Shopping Centre in Sydney's CBD at noon on Thursday as part of a dispute over
wages and and conditions.

Spotless employs cleaners at shopping centres around the country, including a number
of Westfield centres.

The union representing cleaners, United Voice, said its members voted for industrial
action after Spotless spent a year refusing to discuss wages and conditions with union
representatives.

"Cleaners make these centres attractive through hard, dirty, often unpleasant work,
yet they are paid $16.57 an hour and Spotless refuses to even talk about an increase,"

United Voice president Rebecca Reilly said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Cleaners want a liveable wage and they want to be treated with respect.

"If employers don't do that, you are going to see some dirty shopping centres before
this campaign is over."

A survey of 250 cleaners released by the union found 72 per cent feel stressed or under
pressure at work to get through all of their duties and 64 per cent don't believe they
can get their work done properly in the time allocated to them.

Centre operators, including Westfield and Colonial First State, needed to face up to
their responsibilities over the treatment of people paid to clean and maintain their properties,
the union added.

United Voice said Westfield had cut its cleaning contracts, meaning cleaners were working
harder and living on poverty wages with fewer staff on the floor.

"These are some of Australia's wealthiest companies," National Secretary of United
Voice, Louise Tarrant, said of the shopping centre owners.

"They are sitting on the sidelines, watching Spotless disrespect its workforce and
watching cleaners struggle to get their work done."

"Cleaners have found that there's no alternative.

"They are taking strike action starting today because its time for things to change."

Glad and Assetlink cleaners at retail shopping centres are also balloting for protected
industrial action in shopping centres across the country.

The ballot for Glad and Assetlink cleaners closes 7 December.

AAP ih/mm

KEYWORD: CLEANERS AM UPDATE

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.