A long-running dispute between cleaners at Parliament House and the federal government will come to a head next week, with a 24-hour strike planned for Monday.
Cleaning services will be reduced between 6.30am on Monday and 6.30am on Tuesday, after union members voted unanimously to take industrial action.
Workers have been pushing for a pay increase of $1.80 an hour, taking their pay to $22.90 an hour. Their contract with Limro Cleaning Services is due to expire at the end of next month and does not allow for a pay rise above CPI.
Workers also want the commonwealth cleaning services guidelines, which were scrapped as part of the Coalition’s red tape repeal day last year, to be reinstated.
The guidelines, introduced by the previous Labor government, aimed to set the standard for workers in an industry that is rife with exploitation. The Coalition ditched the guidelines, saying they added unnecessary red tape for business owners.
“These guidelines gave cleaners job security at change of contract, professional equipment and materials, increased safety at work through proper training and fair wages,” Lyndal Ryan, the ACT branch secretary of the union representing the cleaners, United Voice, said.
“I hope the unanimous vote by Parliament House cleaners for this 24-hour strike is a wake-up call to the Abbott government,” Ryan said. “These cleaners are some of the longest service staff in Parliament House. Some have worked there since it opened in 1988.”
The guidelines are due to expire on 1 July and the union has repeatedly sought meetings with the employment minister, Eric Abetz, in relation to the matter. To date, no meeting has taken place.
Guardian Australia has sought comment from Christopher Pyne, who is acting employment minister, on the issue.
Cleaners’ wages have been frozen since July 2012.
The industrial action coincides with international cleaners’ day and the announcement of the Golden Toilet Brush award. The award is a tongue-in-cheek recognition of the person who has done the least to promote the industry, and was last year awarded to the prime minister, Tony Abbott.
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 40 and 55% are women.
