Politicians will have to put up with grotty toilets next week, with cleaners at Parliament House set to take industrial action over cuts to pay and conditions.
Union United Voice says the cleaners, who earn $21.10 an hour and haven’t had a pay rise for three years, will stop cleaning bathrooms and toilets from 6.30am on Monday to the same time on Saturday.
“These are hard-working people who sometimes have three jobs and they shouldn’t be treated in that manner,” Labor’s workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor told ABC TV.
Workers in the cleaning industry are among the most vulnerable in Australia. Nearly half of all employees in the sector are born overseas and a high proportion are international students. Sixty-four per cent of all employees are over the age of 40 and 55% are women.
