Cleaning company signs on to union campaign

Roxana Fuentes, Sydney

On September 6, the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) announced that the ISS office cleaning company had agreed to sign on to the principles of the union's Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners campaign.

"Today their employer, the biggest contract cleaning company in Australia, the global giant ISS, will take an important step in being the first property services company to sign on to the Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners principles", Jeff Lawrence, LHMU Cleaners Union national secretary said.

"This is a wonderful step forward. ISS is the market leader in Australia and is showing the way by honouring the Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners principles for high cleaning standards, collective bargaining and decent work for cleaners in Australia."

ISS is the dominant contract cleaning company in Australia with about 15% of cleaning contracts in key capital city CBD buildings, employing more than 20,000 cleaners across the country.

The Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners campaign was launched last April. Across Australia and New Zealand, cleaners have been campaigning outside buildings with noisy and colourful demonstrations on a weekly basis, calling on their employers to join with them in supporting the Clean Start principles.

From GLW issue 683