about

to reform contract cleaning

Avicious price-cutting war in the contract cleaning industry has had a devastating impact on cleaners' jobs: cleaners' workloads are too high and increasing but their working hours are being cut.

As a result of the Clean Start Fair Deal for Cleaners campaign there is now a consensus that this crisis must be fixed.

51 contract cleaning companies have adopted the Clean Start Responsible Contracting Principles. They have made the commitment to improve service quality and to build better relationships with their workforce.

This is a good start but more needs to be done to build a sustainable industry, better maintained buildings and good, safe jobs for cleaners.

This crisis affects the whole industry. Contractors, owners and tenants all have a responsibility to ensure the industry is reformed.

for fair workloads

Cleaners need more time to get through their work.

CBD cleaners clean about 1,000 square metres of office space an hour – the equivalent of four suburban homes. That’s double local and international industry standards.

Unreasonable workloads affect standards of service and cleanliness, as well as cleaners' work safety.

Government reports show that 1 in 5 cleaners cannot finish their work in the allocated time: because they race to finish their work cleaners have double the injury rate of other workers (WorkCover NSW, 2006).

It's time for everyone in the industry to get behind the Clean Start 7 Fair Solutions:

• Owners need to adopt responsible contracting practices for their buildings
• Tenants need to take responsibility for how cleaners are treated
• Contractors need to adopt the Clean Start reform package

“The focus is about everyone in the industry taking some responsibility for ensuring that it grows and operates in a sustainable way – and one where the rewards are shared among all the players.”

Deputy Premier of NSW, The Hon. John Watkins MP at the Clean Start function for the property industry at Parliament House, Sydney, October 2007