About

The Crisis in the cleaning industry

The shopping centre cleaning industry operates through a contracting system in which cleaning companies submit bids to shopping centre owners. The lowest bid then wins the contract. Unfortunately, this practice has led to an unsustainable business model of undercutting, with cleaning companies unable to legally or responsibly meet the requirements specified in contracts without sacrificing either quality or their workforce. Shopping centre cleaners and the public are the people who are punished by these ultimately unsafe practices.

Contracts that are focused solely on price, rather than on the capacity to deliver what shopping centres need, means not enough resources are allocated to ensure quality cleaning. This is where the crisis begins.

The Clean Start Campaign

Cleaners are committed to solving this crisis and to quality cleaning in order to provide a safe and pleasant environment for Australian families. However, because of the crisis within the industry many of us a struggling to do our jobs as well as we would like because cuts to budgets has meant many contractors are forced to cut corners. In addition, we have to survive on unliveable wages; we have no job security; we are overworked and understaffed and are forced to work workloads. We have therefore launched Clean Start campaign as the way to improve our industry nationally and so that we can meet the high standards we set for ourselves while still being able to make a good living.

We are campaigning for;

1. Fair and safe workloads. Cleaners want to be able to do their job properly, but often they can’t because they are forced to use poor quality or faulty equipment. Many also report unreasonable workloads, which means they can’t do the job they want to. This is a danger to them and the public.
2. Respect and fair treatment at work. We deserve to work free from harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment.
3. Real job security. Currently, if there is a change of contract, cleaners can lose their jobs through no falut of their own. This is despite some of us having many years of experience at individual centres.
4. An end to poverty wages. Cleaners are struggling on an unliveable wage. Cleaners need full liveable pay with proper benefits such as superannuation.

Clean Start CBD Campaign

In 2006, United Voice members launched the Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners campaign to highlight the crisis in the CBD office cleaning industry and improve jobs for cleaners.

By standing together in front of CBD office towers, talking to tenants and telling their stories, cleaners in every capital city in Australia helped to build a consensus for urgent reform in their industry.

Through Clean Start, cleaners – alongside commercial property owners, government and responsible contractors – have made great strides in improving the quality and reliability of CBD office cleaning services.

And through this landmark campaign office cleaners have also significantly raised their own living standards and won the respect that they deserve.