NZ parliamentary cleaners plea for living wage

Dateline: 26.02.2010
Author: Press release

New Zealand arliamentary cleaners have taken their plea for a ‘living wage’ directly to the Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith. In a letter, delivered to Parliament by cleaners on the 25 February, the cleaners (who are employed by contractor Spotless Services Limited) asked the Speaker to support a meeting between cleaners and Parliamentary Services to talk about pay parity with other cleaners in hospitals and schools. They also asked the Speaker to convey a message to the contractor encouraging them to work constructively to resolve their collective bargaining.

The cleaners are only paid $12.55 an hour - five cents above the minimum wage. The same cleaning contractor already pays all its cleaners in public hospitals and many working in schools $14.62 an hour.

In the letter, signed by 27 cleaners, SFWU delegate Mata Gagamoe wrote: "We are writing to you as the leader of the venerable institution in which we work. We are the largely invisible workforce of cleaners, who ensure your workplace is cleaned and maintained to a high standard. Many of us work through the night to achieve this, while most other people are at home with their families and sleeping!

"We are struggling to survive on poverty wages. We get paid a fraction above the current minimum wage - $12.55 per hour. We know that many other cleaners - in hospitals and schools - receive $14.62 per hour. We think that is a fair rate of pay."

www.sfwu.org

NZ parliamentary cleaners plea for living wage