A group of about 30 cleaners rallied outside the Brookfield offices on May 5 to demand a fair deal and an end to super-exploitation. The rally was organised by the Clean Start campaign, supported by the United Voice union.
The cleaners chanted, "What do we want? Clean Start! When do we want it? Now."
The building owners, Brookfield, had recently appointed TFM as a new cleaning contractor. TFM advertised cleaning jobs in the building for $15 an hour — less than the minimum wage — and demanded a $500 payment to get the job.
"This is yet another example of the exploitation and massive supply chain issues in the cleaning industry," Mark Boyd, secretary of United Voice NSW, the cleaners' union, said on May 2.
"Every level of the supply chain is the responsibility of Brookfield — of the owner. Because of the Clean Start campaign, most office cleaners have liveable wages, job security and minimum shifts. They are not being mistreated with less than minimum wage work and $500 payment."
"Cleaners across Sydney are still working together in the Clean Start campaign to reform the cleaning industry — to ensure that these dodgy practices don't occur, because all stakeholders in cleaning, including building owners, cleaning companies and cleaners themselves, are working together to ensure that cleaning is transparent and accountable," Boyd said.
[Help stop exploitation in the cleaning industry. Sign the petition here.]
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