WA contractors could be taken to the cleaners to the tune of $38 million if a Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union push to stop the outsourcing of government school cleaning is successful at the Labor Party’s State
WA contractors could be taken to the cleaners to the tune of $38 million if a Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union push to stop the outsourcing of government school cleaning is successful at the Labor Party’s State Conference on June 22 and 23.
Cleaning industry contractors fear the union will ultimately push to stop the government from contracting out cleaning for all WA government buildings. If that happens the industry risks losing $60 million worth of business.
LHMWU WA secretary David Kelly is confident the motion will be passed at the State conference. The union put the motion to Labor’s State executive meeting in November, where it passed almost unanimously.
If passed at State conference it will become Labor Party policy.
Mr Kelly’s union has one of the biggest union membership bases in WA and, as a result, has sizeable share of the votes at the conference.
Australian Labor Party WA branch secretary Bill Johnston said the motion before the conference was not far removed from the party’s existing policy.
“Our party position has always been to take cleaning contracts in house,” he said.
“Our platform says we are to terminate contracts that are not performing and conduct an independent review.
“The motion before conference does away with the independent review and suggests we bring the contracts inhouse once they terminate.”
Mr Johnston said decisions at State conference were binding on the Labor caucus.
“However, it’s up to caucus as to when that policy is implemented,” he said.
Mr Kelly said school cleaning had been almost solely direct labour until the previous government privatised it.
“Workplace agreements eroded the workers’ pay and conditions,” he said.
“The quality of the cleaning also decreased because the square metres per cleaner went up due to the contracts.”
Master Cleaners Guild executive director Ian Westoby said there was no evidence that the move to privatise school cleaning had reduced quality.
The guild collected more than 4,200 quality monitoring reports that schools using privatised cleaners are required to complete.
“Of those reports only 31 showed dissatisfaction,” Mr Westoby said.
He said there were around 1,800 school cleaners working on contracts.
“I believe it will cost schools an extra 20 per cent to 30 per cent to go back to day labour,” Mr Westoby said.
Mr Kelly said he was not suggesting the government break the contracts it already had with school cleaners.
“We are suggesting they wait until those contract terms expire and then switch back to day labour,” he said.
Mr Kelly said contracting out cleaning services had destroyed the role school cleaners played in the school community.
“Teachers have actually been forced to do some of the cleaning,” he said.
The government allows principals to decide whether the school is cleaned by contractors or by day labour.
When 60 schools came out of contract last year, about 60 per cent of them opted to return to using day labour.
Mr Kelly said the government’s policy was not appropriate.
“Principals are being lobbied by contract cleaners to retain their services,” he said.
“We don’t think they should be making decisions on people’s conditions.”
Former Industrial Relations Minister Graham Kierath said he was not surprised to hear the LHMWU was pushing for day labour.
Indeed, it was the issue of contract cleaning that drew Mr Kierath into politics.
He is a past president of the Master Cleaners Guild and lobbied the government of the day to outsource some of its cleaning work.
“The LHMWU are a very influential union,” Mr Kierath said.
Unions hold 60 per cent of the votes at State conference – something WA Premier Geoff Gallop said he would like to have reduced to 50 per cent.
Cleaning industry contractors fear the union will ultimately push to stop the government from contracting out cleaning for all WA government buildings. If that happens the industry risks losing $60 million worth of business.
LHMWU WA secretary David Kelly is confident the motion will be passed at the State conference. The union put the motion to Labor’s State executive meeting in November, where it passed almost unanimously.
If passed at State conference it will become Labor Party policy.
Mr Kelly’s union has one of the biggest union membership bases in WA and, as a result, has sizeable share of the votes at the conference.
Australian Labor Party WA branch secretary Bill Johnston said the motion before the conference was not far removed from the party’s existing policy.
“Our party position has always been to take cleaning contracts in house,” he said.
“Our platform says we are to terminate contracts that are not performing and conduct an independent review.
“The motion before conference does away with the independent review and suggests we bring the contracts inhouse once they terminate.”
Mr Johnston said decisions at State conference were binding on the Labor caucus.
“However, it’s up to caucus as to when that policy is implemented,” he said.
Mr Kelly said school cleaning had been almost solely direct labour until the previous government privatised it.
“Workplace agreements eroded the workers’ pay and conditions,” he said.
“The quality of the cleaning also decreased because the square metres per cleaner went up due to the contracts.”
Master Cleaners Guild executive director Ian Westoby said there was no evidence that the move to privatise school cleaning had reduced quality.
The guild collected more than 4,200 quality monitoring reports that schools using privatised cleaners are required to complete.
“Of those reports only 31 showed dissatisfaction,” Mr Westoby said.
He said there were around 1,800 school cleaners working on contracts.
“I believe it will cost schools an extra 20 per cent to 30 per cent to go back to day labour,” Mr Westoby said.
Mr Kelly said he was not suggesting the government break the contracts it already had with school cleaners.
“We are suggesting they wait until those contract terms expire and then switch back to day labour,” he said.
Mr Kelly said contracting out cleaning services had destroyed the role school cleaners played in the school community.
“Teachers have actually been forced to do some of the cleaning,” he said.
The government allows principals to decide whether the school is cleaned by contractors or by day labour.
When 60 schools came out of contract last year, about 60 per cent of them opted to return to using day labour.
Mr Kelly said the government’s policy was not appropriate.
“Principals are being lobbied by contract cleaners to retain their services,” he said.
“We don’t think they should be making decisions on people’s conditions.”
Former Industrial Relations Minister Graham Kierath said he was not surprised to hear the LHMWU was pushing for day labour.
Indeed, it was the issue of contract cleaning that drew Mr Kierath into politics.
He is a past president of the Master Cleaners Guild and lobbied the government of the day to outsource some of its cleaning work.
“The LHMWU are a very influential union,” Mr Kierath said.
Unions hold 60 per cent of the votes at State conference – something WA Premier Geoff Gallop said he would like to have reduced to 50 per cent.
