15 February 2010

For immediate release

Cleaners at Auckland Airport to take industrial action over poverty wages

Cleaners at Auckland airport will be taking industrial action tomorrow (16 Feb) over their employer’s refusal to pay a decent Living Wage.
 
The cleaners - who are employed by cleaning contractors OCS and ISS - are paid just above the minimum wage to clean the public areas of the Domestic and International terminals, airport offices and buildings.
 
The same cleaning contractors already pay their cleaners working in public hospitals and schools $14.62 an hour (and those agreements are currently being renegotiated).
 
"Cleaners want contractors to treat us with respect and pay us at least the same rate as our fellow cleaners working in other public facilities. It doesn’t make sense for contractors to pay us less for the same job”, says SFWU delegate Pukea Tu Puna.
 
The cleaners, who are members of the Service and Food Workers Union Nga Ringa Tota, have been in negotiations for their Multi Employer Collective Agreement with the cleaning contractors since May last year.
 
“So far our members have only been offered a 25 cent payrise – which they rejected. These workers are struggling to survive on poverty wages as low as $12.55 an hour,” says Fala Haulangi, Lead Organiser for the SFWU’s Clean Start campaign.
 
“They are taking action to say enough is enough. Cleaners deserve a fair Living Wage, and we’d like to see them paid closer to $15 an hour”.
 
ENDS

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