Cleaners will walk off the job at Parliament and Auckland
International Airport tomorrow to protest the lack of
progress in their wage negotiations.
Members of the Service and Food Workers Union have been
involved in multi-party negotiations with Building Service
Contractors New Zealand (BSCNZ) since May last year, but have
failed to reach agreement.
Strike action began yesterday at the airport, while
tomorrow's walk-off will be a first for the cleaners at
Parliament.
Under the current multi-employer collective agreement, the
cleaners are paid $12.55 an hour, which is just above the
minimum wage, and less than the $14.62 that cleaners working
for the same contractors are paid at public hospitals and
schools.
The cleaners have rejected a 25c payrise offer, saying they
would be little better off after the minimum wage increases
to $12.75 on April 1.
Allan Gaylard, a cleaner at Parliament, said he worked long
overnight shifts for little recognition.
"All we are asking is to be treated with dignity and respect,
and to be paid fairly," he said.
BSCNZ president Brian Young said the strike action was
disappointing given that further talks were due to take place
on Thursday.
"It is hard to see why the union has chosen to take action
when the industry has been working for months to try to
progress negotiations," he said.
The current offer was higher than the minimum wage, and
further increases were "simply not realistic" in difficult
economic conditions, he said.
The cleaners will protest outside Parliament for two hours
tomorrow, and undertake restricted duties for the rest of the
day.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.