Beware of dirty toilets at Melbourne Airport and consider bringing your own toilet rolls and soap – that’s the word from the United Voice union, whose cleaning staff members are about to strike over a pay dispute.
Their employer, Spotless, denies there will be a problem, 9 News reported.
United Voice, formerly known as the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union, has about 130,000 members. It warns that Melbourne Airport could soon see dirty food courts, filthy toilets and over-flowing garbage bins as airport cleaners prepare to vote on industrial action.
On Friday, Fair Work Australia backed the cleaners’ right to take strike action “after Spotless told more than 100 airport cleaners that they should be paid $1600 less than other cleaners at Melbourne Airport”, the union stated.
Cleaners will begin voting within days in a Protected-Action Ballot which will decide on potential strike action at Melbourne Airport’s domestic terminal. Proposed actions include partial stop-work actions to a full indefinite strike, as well as bans on cleaning and related duties like replacing toilet rolls and emptying bins.
“Melbourne Airport sees more than 5000 domestic passengers a day, and that adds up to an enormous amount of cleaning,” says Jess Walsh, Victorian Secretary of United Voice.
“Bins need to be emptied, toilets need to be cleaned and toilet rolls need to be replaced, and all of this has to happen around the clock,” Walsh says.
“A cleaners’ strike is going to result in some serious disruption. Passengers using Melbourne Airport’s domestic terminal may want to bring their own toilet rolls,” she says.
Airport cleaners employed by Spotless earn as little as $16.57 per hour, according to their unionß.
Airport cleaners have met with Spotless four times. Initially, Spotless refused to meet, according to the union, but was ordered to do so by Fair Work Australia following a majority-support determination.
A spokeswoman for Spotless, however, said that any industrial action would have no impact on cleaning activities at the airport. The company paid annual parking fees for its airport-based employees and had offered the cleaners a 4% wage increase each year, the Spotless spokeswoman said.Spotless said award penalty structuresmeant that many cleaners earned overAUD20 an hour.
Written by : Peter Needham
(Source: eglobaltravelmedia.com.com.au)
