CAF 3 Star Standard

CAF Standard 1. Fair Labour Practices 

Labour practices for employees are consistent with Australian Federal and State/Territory workplace relations laws including the Fair Work Act 2009, the National Employment Standards and any applicable industrial instrument, for example the Cleaning Services Award 2020 or a collectively bargained enterprise agreement. This also encompasses tax and superannuation obligations relating to the employment of cleaners, as well as legislation governing the employment of temporary migrant workers. 

Assessable elements: 

    • Employment policies and procedures
    • Conditions of employment
    • Record keeping
    • Induction and training
    • Job security at change of contract
    • Freedom of association

1A) Employment policies and procedures

  • 1A.1 Relevant employment policies and procedures that are in line with workplace legislation are maintained. 
  • 1A.2 Employees are educated on their workplace rights.
  • 1A.3 Sham contracting is prevented.
  • 1A.4 A workplace of free and voluntary employment is provided.
  • 1A.5 A workplace free from bullying, harassment and discrimination is provided.
  • 1A.6 Employees are supported to raise workplace grievances and instances of bullying and harassment.
  • 1A.7 Appropriate policies and procedures in relation to the employment of temporary migrant workers are maintained.
  • 1A.8 Any applicable mandatory labour hire licenses and certificates are obtained and maintained.

1B) Conditions of employment

  • 1B.1 Employees are provided with a written form of engagement or contract outlining their conditions of employment.
  • 1B.2 Employees are paid in accordance with the relevant Award or an applicable collectively bargained agreement. Where the Award rate is higher than the rate in the collective agreement, employees are paid at the higher rate. 
  • 1B.3 Employees’ wages are paid via bank deposit (no cash wages).
  • 1B.4 Overtime and penalty rates are managed in accordance with the relevant Award or Agreement.
  • 1B.5 Employees are provided with the correct paid and unpaid leave entitlements (annual, personal and carers’ leave, parental leave, family and domestic violence leave, compassionate leave, and any other form of leave specified in an applicable industrial instrument). 
  • 1B.6 Employees are provided with the correct paid and unpaid breaks applicable in the Award or Agreement.
  • 1B.7 Portable Long Service Leave legislation applicable in the jurisdiction is complied with. 
  • 1B.8 All superannuation guarantee and tax obligations relating to employees, including PAYG withholding and ATO reporting obligations, are complied with. 

1C) Record keeping

  • 1C.1 Records relating to employment, working hours, wages, superannuation, leave entitlements, are maintained in accordance with relevant legislation.  
  • 1C.2 Accurate and timely payment of wages and provision of pay slips are ensured. 
  • 1C.3 Employees’ pay slips contain all mandated information, in addition to the annual leave balance. 

1D) Induction and training

  • 1D.1 Paid general and WH&S induction is provided to all new employees. 
  • 1D.2 Ongoing paid training is provided to all employees. 

1E) Job security at change of contract

  • 1E.1 When there is a change of cleaning contract, employees should be offered a position that is same employment category and working pattern to the position they held under the previous contractor; redeployment and redundancy provisions apply where cleaners do not wish to stay on.  

1F) Freedom of association

  • 1F.1 All stakeholders recognise and uphold the right of cleaners to join and be represented by a union, without hindrance or discrimination.

CAF Standard 2. Responsible Contracting & Transparency 

Contract cleaning services are procured, managed and delivered transparently and responsibly. This includes fair contract pricing, responsible conduct with regard to subcontracting, and transparency by supply chain stakeholders when it comes to CAF’s assessment of compliance with the CAF Standard.  

2A) Pricing

  • 2A.1 The contract price is sufficient to enable employees to be paid at least legal minimums and have safe workloads.  

2B) Subcontracting

  • 2B.1 Subcontracting of core services is only undertaken with the agreement of the owner. 
  • 2B.2 If subcontracting of core services is carried out, it is done so in compliance with contract conditions and the employment conditions provided to subcontracted staff are no less favourable than those provided to directly employed staff under the conditions set out in the principal contract. 
  • 2B.3 Subcontractors’ compliance with labour standards is monitored and enforced.

2C) Transparency and Accountability

  • 2C.1 All stakeholders act transparently and accountably. 
  • 2C.2 Access to documents to permit independent assessment of compliance with the CAF Standard is provided within the required timeframes.  

CAF Standard 3. Safe Working Conditions 

Safe working conditions are provided to employees, who have access to the training, equipment, supplies, and personal protective equipment to do their job safely. Relevant stakeholders comply with Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, workers’ compensation and public liability insurance obligations. 

3) Safe Working Conditions

  • 3.1 Appropriate certifications and insurances are maintained. 
  • 3.2 Appropriate WHS policies and procedures are maintained and implemented. 
  • 3.3 Employees are provided with adequate and sufficient materials, equipment and personal protective equipment to enable them to safely complete their duties; systems are in place for cleaners to report low stock, malfunction or breakage of any materials or equipment.
  • 3.4 Employees are provided with sufficient time to complete their duties safely and effectively. 

CAF Standard 4. Financial Viability  

Procurers of cleaning services promote financially responsible business models in the cleaning industry in order to safeguard employee entitlements.   

  • 4.1 Appropriate financial viability checks are undertaken by the Owner prior to engaging the Cleaning Contractor at the site. 

CAF Standard 5. Worker Engagement 

Employees are meaningfully educated about their rights at work and are engaged in the the assessment of their working conditions and in the ongoing monitoring of labour standards at their workplace. 

  • 5.1 Employees are educated and engaged on the CAF Standard and are encouraged to provide feedback on their working conditions without fear of negative consequences.  
  • 5.2 Employees have the opportunity to be educated and engaged about their workplace rights by worker representatives (i.e. the union), independent of employer and management representatives. Note: this does not discount or detract from employers’ responsibility to educate and engage their employees about their rights. 
  • 5.3 Supply chain stakeholders support employees and their representatives to monitor working conditions and compliance with the CAF Standard at their workplace. 

CAF Standard 6. Issue Identification and Remediation

All stakeholders participate in good faith in the identification, investigation and remediation of labour rights risks.  

  • 6.1 Participate in good faith in agreed CAF processes to identify labour rights risks, including collaborating with other stakeholders to permit issue identification, in particular by vulnerable workers. 
  • 6.2 Timely investigation of any non-compliance with the CAF Standard identified by CAF. 
  • 6.3 Timely remediation of any non-compliance with the CAF Standard as determined by CAF and/or the CAF Certification Panel. 
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