LHMU - UNION ACTIVE

"The Federal Government has huge purchasing power. Workers from across all the industries from which Government purchases goods and services have long been concerned that their taxes have for at least the last ten years been spent in creating low waged and insecure employment.

"The election of a federal government on the back of the Your Rights at Work Campaign provided the opportunity for workers to say to their newly elected government that they want their taxes spent through government purchasing to create fair work jobs. Cleaners often formed the public face of the campaign that will ultimately deliver to many other workers, across a multitude of industries.

"When LHMU members reflected upon this recent process, we realised that not too many workers have shared the podium with Gillard. We are proud that we were at the forefront of government's mind, and that we had a representative on the committee that developed these new Guidelines for all workers.

We also know that those politicians who chose to stand for election thinking they might be able to achieve something in this area are proud that cleaners have been at the forefront of this, and proud that thousands and thousands of workers will be impacted by these guidelines which make the Federal Government a best practice employer. Basically, it's a world away from the race to the bottom, or the grab the lowest price, approach of previous Governments.

"Cleaners have unfinished business with implementation of both their Clean Start Agreement and the Fair Work Guidelines. We may have changed the legalities, but we have to change the culture of workplaces through education and activism. Subcontracting and workloads are still major issues and these still lead to high turnover in the industry and a culture of poor management, so we are pleased to have the government, owners and responsible contractors working along side us to change the business model and improve the entire industry."

Lyndal had more to say about where cleaners stood out from the crowd to lead the way on these new changes:

"Unions like the LHMU created the environment that made the Fair Work Principles and Guidelines a priority for Government. In particular, cleaners made it politically irresistible to do something about it. Cleaners are so proud of their achievements within the Clean Start Campaign – LHMU cleaning members have won a new Industry Agreement which gives them tangible increases in income, but they have also changed the landscape for industrial relations. This gives them a huge sense of pride – knowing they have changed things for other workers who are trying to win improvements too. Cleaners want their campaign and their successes to be a beacon of hope for other workers because it commenced during the Howard years and has resulted in huge industry change."

A special committee is due to finalise the 'Best Practice Cleaning Standards' which recognise the importance of addressing concerns particular to the cleaning industry. These Standards will sit alongside the Fair Work Guidelines. Download a copy of the recently released Fair Work Guidelines here.