The Cleaning Accountability Framework (CAF) has awarded 447 Collins Street, Melbourne a 3 Star rating and applauds Cbus Property, ISPT, JLL, Tradeflex, the United Workers Union and the cleaners for their efforts.
CAF Building Certification is an independent assessment of the procurement, management and delivery of cleaning services at a building. The CAF 3 Star Standard is a set of standards based on decent work for cleaners. Cbus Property’s Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Pozzo, acknowledges that “this certification ensures all cleaners at 447 Collins Street enjoy appropriate work conditions with fair pay, safe and secure work, and a voice at their workplace and up the supply chain”.
CAF believes that all participants in the property services industry have an active role to play in lifting standards for cleaners. Accordingly, CAF Certification is a highly collaborative process, engaging the entire cleaning supply chain in the assessment, from the building’s owners to the cleaners themselves.
CAF Program Officer, Emma Conos, says that there was “exemplary cooperation by all stakeholders, they were all really engaged. When you see this level of cooperation, it demonstrates that everyone is on board and is genuinely trying to achieve our mission and that this is not just another box ticking exercise for them.”
Conos continues, explaining that “stakeholder buy-in tends to go hand-in-hand with a willingness to be open and transparent and this will ultimately lead to better outcomes for cleaners.”
For property services provider Tradeflex, this was their first experience undergoing CAF Certification. Tradeflex recognises the benefit of CAF Certification for their business, saying that “our cleaning staff are encouraged to provide direct feedback to CAF, the union, and Tradeflex, in relation to their work conditions. This ongoing feedback will be extremely beneficial to us as we will be able to proactively manage our responsibilities and continue to ensure we have a happy workforce.”
Photo (R): 447 Collins Street day cleaning team. Image courtesy of Tradeflex.
Ongoing feedback from cleaners is the crux of CAF’s unique worker engagement method and is at the heart of CAF Certification. For building owners and their investors, CAF Certification means higher quality cleaning that will help them to both attract and retain tenants, and to decrease the risk of worker exploitation and modern slavery occurring at their assets.
Cbus Property sees the value in CAF with Pozzo affirming that “CAF Certification is an important part of Cbus Property’s mission to address modern slavery risks in our supply chain and demonstrates our commitment to maintaining high ethical standards on all of our projects and investments, while working with suppliers whose values align with our own.”
“This is the third office building in our portfolio to obtain CAF 3 Star Certification, and is a key step towards obtaining CAF certification across our managed office portfolio certified by the end of 2022.”