Mall cleaners on strike during Christmas rush

Full audio interview available here: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3396971.htm

PETER CAVE: If you're shopping in person in Victoria today it may be a little smellier than normal.

The cleaners at some of the biggest shopping malls there have gone on strike.

Their union United Voice is targeting the contractor Spotless over workloads and pay. The strike started at midnight last night.

Liz Hobday spoke to Ben Redford from United Voice.

BEN REDFORD: Cleaners who work for Spotless at shopping centres have been trying to urge their boss to sit down and talk to them about some of the issues they are facing at work now for some months.

Spotless is simply refusing to talk to the cleaners who work for them in shopping centres. And as a result the cleaners have been left with no choice but to take strike action today and tomorrow in some of the major shopping centres in Victoria.

LIZ HOBDAY: What are some of those issues that you say they are facing?

BEN REDFORD: Two of the key issues are extremely low wages and also completely unrealistic workloads.

So cleaners who work for Spotless are simply being required to do ridiculous amounts of work without being given enough time to do that work.

And that is causing extreme problems in the industry. These cleaners are literally running around shopping centres to cover large expanses of area and they are just not being given enough time to do the job to the standard that's required of them.

LIZ HOBDAY: What effect is this strike going to have on the people who are shopping in the mall so close to Christmas?

BEN REDFORD: Unfortunately this strike is likely to have a significant effect on some of Victoria's major shopping centres over the next two days.

And cleaners really regret that this action had become necessary and the action can be averted. All we are asking for is for Spotless to sit down with us and talk to us about some of the problems that cleaners are facing at work.

LIZ HOBDAY: Are you worried though that this timing won't win you any friends among people who are shopping?

BEN REDFORD: Cleaners have been taking limited industrial action now for some weeks and we've been overwhelmed with support from the public.

Only recently the head of the Uniting Church in Australia has come out in strong support of the cleaners. And we are receiving a lot of support from shoppers who realise that cleaners are just simply being required to do too much work in not enough time for poverty wages.

PETER CAVE: Ben Redford from United Voice.

Spotless says it does pay its cleaners award rates, it's passed on three wage increases and has repeatedly tried to talk to the cleaners' union.

The company says the malls will be cleaned.