Cleaners for a Better Future
This is a struggle for better conditions and for the right to fight!
"Cleaners for a better future" is an initiative from the trade union, but unlike in other union
campaigns, this time the cleaners themselves take action. It is
David against Goliath , only 7% of the cleaners are organised, fighting
against some of the biggest cleaning companies in Europe. The cleaners
need all the help they can get.
This is a struggle for better conditions and for the right to fight!
The campaign "Cleaners for a better future" aims to improve the working
conditions of 150,000 cleaners in the Netherlands by winning a better
contract. Most importantly the campaign is a struggle for stronger
self-organisation among workers in the cleaning sector. Cleaners, of
whom 90 percent are migrants and 80 percent women, desire real lasting
improvements - they are fighting for a dignified wage of (at least!) 10
euros an hour to be able to sustain their families, more working hours,
work protection, more respect and the right to organise freely without
repression. The clients who hire the cleaning companies, multinational
corporations, banks, insurance companies, public institutions must show
social responsibility by telling their subcontractors to do the right
thing and improve the conditions and stop repressing union organisation.
Cleaners are getting organised, and creating community alliances to
demand a better life for themselves and their families!
The cleaning sector is one of the worst sectors of the Dutch labor
market to work in. Corporations and government have outsourced cleaning,
and the cleaning companies are engaged in fierce competition to offer
the cheapest cleaning services. As a result, the working conditions of
cleaners are under pressure. The salary is really low, in between 8,90
and 9,05 eur per hour, before taxes. An amount you can barely sustain
yourself on, let alone a family. Sick leave is being subtracted from
cleaner?s wages, or is not accepted. A lot of cleaners work in constant
fear for their boss or manager, who often keep the work rhythm high
through intimidation and repression, and do not allow any trade union
activity. Next to that, a large majority of the cleaners are migrants
from all parts of the world, making communication between workers
difficult. A lot of cleaners don?t know their rights. The campaign hopes
to change that, by bringing cleaners together, and fight for a better
contract.
The campaign is part of an international campaign Justice for Janitors