latest news

ACT cleaners welcome the ACT Chief Minister’s commitment to implement reforms to give practical effect to the Clean Start Fair Deal for Cleaners principles. The Chief Minister John Stanhope has given a written undertaking to the LHMU, the cleaners’ union, his Government will implement the reforms in standardised government cleaning contracts by the end of this year.

“After two years of Clean Start campaigning to get job security, fair wages and training, cleaners are delighted Jon Stanhope has committed to implementing what will be the greatest reforms of cleaning contracting in the ACT in more than 20 years,” says Lyndal Ryan, ACT Branch Secretary of the LHMU.

Across the country cleaners have sent a strong message to contract cleaning companies: it’s time to
sign up for the Clean Start collective agreement to reform the industry.

LHMU members have joined in rallies, delegations, community activities and other actions to focus
public attention on cleaners’ bad working conditions. Because of member action Clean Start reforms
have already been introduced in some buildings giving cleaners signifi cant benefi ts. Now it’s time for
other contractors to follow.

Award ceremony outside ACT Legislative Assembly

The ACT Government is the winner of the 2008 Golden Toilet Brush Award, the LHMU the cleaners’ union today announced today.

ACT cleaners and their supporters will hold an official Golden Toilet Brush Award Ceremony outside the ACT Legislative Assembly today. ACT Branch Secretary of the LHMU will invite Minister Andrew Barr to attend the ceremony to accept the Award on behalf of the ACT Government.

Cleaners in Australia and around the world will commemorate International Cleaners' Day on Sunday 15 June by campaigning to replace short, fragmented daily shifts with standard working hours.

Cleaners ask: Why isn't State Library cleaned by a Responsible Contracting Program company?

Hobart cleaners and their supporters will protest today about the failure of Kleen N Bright, the company contracted to clean the State Library of Tasmania, to sign up for the Responsible Contracting Program (RCP).

CLEANERS have won a landmark deal in two Melbourne office towers that will see them nearly halve their hourly workload and boost their pay through longer shifts.

While investigating working conditions at a large CBD cleaning company an LHMU Clean Start Organiser discovered unsafe work practices, poor cleaning standards jeopardising jobs of cleaners and an unhygienic work environment for tenants.

Hundreds of office cleaners will throw down the gauntlet to cleaning employers today, telling them they can’t keep cleaning the city on poverty wages and shifts as short as two hours.

Canberra’s dirty secret - low paid migrant workforce

Canberra cleaners and their supporters will protest tomorrow about the failure of the ACT Government to introduce a fair contracting system for cleaning ACT Government Schools.

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:55): I am very pleased today to be able to report on a great initiative by a union that I am a member of, the Miscellaneous Workers Union. It is called the It's Time campaign, but in this case it is time to fix the cleaning industry. Having worked as a cleaner myself, certainly when I was a student, I have some idea of the trials and tribulations of being a cleaner, but certainly I have not had the opportunity to work for some of the big cleaning firms, which is where this particular campaign is directed.