At our Portfolio Certification Launch, Jazmin Rivera, Lead Organiser from United Workers Union in Victoria, discussed here lived experience as a cleaner and as a union Organiser. Below is the statement from the United Workers Union National President, Jo Schofield and speech delivered by Jennifer at the event.
Jo’s Statement
Thank you CAF and ISPT for the opportunity to make a statement on behalf of United Workers Union, to celebrate the launch of portfolio certification. I’d like to start by acknowledging the Spring Place cleaning team and the CAF Representatives in the room – thank you for standing up on behalf of cleaners, and for the essential work you do to keep our buildings clean and safe.
I wish I could be there with you today. However, I had an important meeting with our Our Unions governing body, the Member Council, our national council members, which I simply could not miss. As you can all understand, ensuring that we are talking to our members and workplace representatives is an absolute priority for our union, and serves as a reminder of the critical need to put worker engagement at the heart of everything we do, including, of course, our CAF work.
Today marks an important milestone for CAF. After 5 years of painstakingly improving working conditions for cleaners building by building, we are at the cusp of being able to lift labour standards across entire property portfolios, starting with ISPT.
The last 5 years of CAF building certification have delivered better jobs for more than 1,700 cleaners who clean 56 CAF certified office towers and shopping centres across the country. They have also resulted in a move towards:
- greater transparency and accountability of contract pricing;
- workers finding a voice and a seat at the table;
- a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to achieving compliance; and
- a fundamental understanding that cleaners’ hard work should be recognised and valued – and that this recognition must flow from the top of the supply chain, with procurers implementing responsible contracting practices.
CAF portfolio certification provides property owners and investors with the ability to manage cleaning supply chain risk and ensure labour compliance on a large scale. This will have a transformative impact on the cleaning industry – an industry that has been plagued for decades by worker exploitation – and will also ensure we are lifting standards and creating decent work for tens of thousands of cleaners.
In 5 years’, time, at the next big CAF event, I hope to be able to stand in front of you and tell you about the enormous and transformative impact we have had.
- Procurers will no longer encourage a race to the bottom by selecting the cheapest bid – instead they will choose responsible contractors who have a proven track record as good employers, and they will ensure the contract price is sustainable and meets the needs of cleaners.
- Contractors will choose the high road by seeking to compete on quality of service rather than price, and their business models will be ethical and sustainable.
- And cleaners around the country will be empowered to speak up when there are issues at work, will have a clear pathway for issues to be resolved, and will be employed in secure jobs that they can count on.
I look forward to that day.
Jaz’s experience as a cleaner and Organiser
I’d like to acknowledge Jo’s insightful comments, and I’d like to thank CAF for inviting us today.
I am Jazmin and it’s a privilege to speak with you all today. I was once a cleaner too in this city, and reflecting on my journey as a cleaner, I recall the challenging conditions that I experienced back then in 2007.
Many of us faced issues like not enough hours to do our jobs (the minimum hours used to be 2 per day), wages were low, and our jobs were insecure, especially during contract changes. But the biggest challenge by far was the lack of recognition for the cleaners’ hard work. Some of these challenges have evolved but many persist.
When I transitioned into the role of a union organiser, I did so with the hope of affecting real change. Working alongside fellow cleaners, our mission has been to improve working conditions, secure better wages and ensure that the contributions of the cleaners are valued. The progress we’ve made is significant, with things like the increase in minimum engagement, which is now 4 hours per day and enshrined in the Cleaning Services Award, as well as job security at contract change, which is now under the CAF standards. But there is still work to be done.
Working together with CAF, the impact on cleaners’ jobs and lives has been profound. CAF has been instrumental in advocating for cleaners’ rights. Our collective efforts have been helpful to be able to keep some of the improvements cleaners have fought for over many years. And we have seen some positive changes and improvements in working conditions at CAF certified sites. Through CAF, we’ve also made sure cleaners voices are heard, and their hard work is recognized and valued. Having cleaners appointed as CAF Reps at their sites is the best voice we can give to them, as they are the ones on the ground talking to their fellow cleaners, making sure any issues are fixed and that cleaners are safe and happy in their jobs.
As we look to the future, we must keep evolving and continue pushing for improvements. I am glad to see the journey is ongoing and happening at a bigger scale now with portfolio certification. Our goal as a union is to build on the success we’ve achieved and keep striving for better jobs and decent work for all cleaners.