LHMU News
Award ceremony outside ACT Legislative Assembly
The ACT Government is the winner of the 2008 Golden Toilet Brush Award, the LHMU the cleaners’ union announced today.
ACT cleaners and their supporters will hold an official Golden Toilet Brush Award Ceremony outside the ACT Legislative Assembly today. ACT Branch Secretary of the LHMU will invite Minister Andrew Barr to attend the ceremony to accept the Award on behalf of the ACT Government.
“15 June is International Cleaners’ Day. Cleaners commemorate the Day each year by awarding Golden Toilet Brush Awards. The Award has been very tightly contested again this year but, unfortunately, the ACT Government stood out from other contenders.
“I’m disappointed to announce that the 2008 Golden Toilet Brush Award has been won by the ACT Government for its failure to implement the Clean Start reforms ACT Government cleaning contracts.
The Minister for Education Mr. Andrew Barr launched the Clean Start Fair Go for Cleaners Campaign in April 2006. In October 2006 the Chief Minister added his support for the campaign in a newspaper advertisement marking International Anti-Poverty Day.
“Although here have been some improvements to the Government’s contracting system, ACT cleaners are still waiting for the long overdue full implementation of Clean Start reforms. Cleaners, most of them women and most from non-English speaking backgrounds, have been disappointed by a long series of delays.
“There have been many media reports of complaints from public servants regarding long hours and impossible workloads but little has been said about the literally impossible and unsafe workloads of cleaners. Cleaners, including those working in the Assembly, struggle on the $10 per week wage increase awarded to them in October while our pollies can enjoy the minimum increase of $85 per week announced on Thursday.
“I hope Mr Barr will accept the Award on behalf of his Government.
“We suggest the approximately 75 cm long Award be used as a replacement for the ceremonial mace used at the Assembly as a daily reminder to the Government of the 2000 Canberra cleaners who rely on them to lead the way on reform of the cleaning industry.”
