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SIPTU calls on cleaning companies to honour 'agreed' 40 cent per hour pay increase

A new Employment Regulation Order for contract cleaners was delayed by the Covid-19 outbreak.

TRADE UNION SIPTU has called on employers in the contract cleaning sector to honour a 40 cent-per-hour pay increase for cleaners that they say has been agreed upon but not implemented.

Since 2015, SIPTU has negotiated with employers in the sector — represented by the Irish Contract Cleaners Association (ICCA) — to set minimum pay standards through legally binding Employment Regulation Orders (ERO).

The last ERO expired in 2018 but SIPTU said that a new one had been negotiated earlier this year through the Contract Cleaning Joint Labour Committee and was awaiting formal Labour Court approval when the Covid-19 outbreak delayed its finalisation.

According to the draft ERO, published by the Labour Court on 9 January, the order would have increased the hourly rate of pay for contract cleaners — who provide outsourced cleaning services to businesses and workplaces including hospitals — from €10.80 to €11.20 on 1 March.

But the ICCA, which represents 75% of companies in the contract cleaning sector, said it is now “asking to re-open negotiations around the current pay proposal for the contract cleaning sector”.

In a statement, the association said, “Since the proposal was submitted to the Labour Court, the economic context in which the contract cleaning industry operates has changed profoundly. 

“In common with almost every other industry in Ireland, the contract cleaning industry has been negatively impacted by the economic consequences of Covid-19… As a result of the sudden and severe economic repercussions of Covid-19, the ICCA wrote to the Joint Labour Committee on 29 April 2020, asking to re-open negotiations around the current pay proposal for the contract cleaning sector.

“We are not asking for the 40c increase to be dropped. Rather, we asked for a meeting to discuss the timing of the increase, with a view to ensuring it is introduced in a way that does not result in additional lay-offs or the cessation of contracts by clients, many of whom are themselves experiencing unprecedented loss of income and resulting financial pressures.”

“We remain committed to working with the trade unions – through the JLC process – to ensure fair remuneration and working conditions for all those employed in the contract cleaning sector.”

SIPTU organiser Teresa Hannick, who represents the workers, said, “Really, it’s unbelievable. We’re talking about essential workers at this stage. Most of these cleaners are in hospitals and healthcare facilities and even in transport. People are going out clapping for frontline workers and cleaners and we have a group of employers now saying, ‘we can’t afford to pay an increase.’”

Senator Paul Gavan, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on worker’s rights, said that the decision “to withhold this pay rise simply beggars belief”.

“We have contract cleaners putting their lives on the line in hospitals throughout the country, who get paid just €10.80 an hour. Their union, SIPTU, had negotiated a 40 cent increase in good faith with employers.”

It is understood that the ICCA believes that it is not ‘withholding’ the pay increase because it has not yet been given Labour Court approval.

In a press release on 18 May, ICCA board member Cormac Sheils — who is also managing director of cleaning firm Bidvest Noonan — said that many employers in the sector have “experienced sharp downturns in demand for their services” because of school, retail and other workplace closures.

“On the other hand, however, many of our members have seen increased demand for specialist cleaning and emergency response services, with a significantly increased demand in pharma and healthcare settings,” Sheils said.

“Throughout this pandemic, our cleaning staff have been on the frontlines – in hospitals, factories and care facilities – ensuring essential workplaces are clean and germ-free.” 

“Cleaners are themselves providing an essential service during this difficult time. We have stepped up to the mark without hesitation, and we are ready and willing to continue to play our part in the reopening of Ireland’s economy. To ensure we can, it is vital we receive support on PPE issues and recognition of the additional costs incurred due to the pandemic.”

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    Mute *The* Brendan Gordon
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    Aug 24th 2019, 10:17 PM

    Back in the days when the US had cash and not Chinese debt

    147
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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Aug 24th 2019, 10:50 PM

    @*The* Brendan Gordon: China has bought everything in the US and they are in debt to China.

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    Mute bmul
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    Aug 25th 2019, 12:37 AM

    @TamuMassif2019: what

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    Mute Vote4Pedro
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    Aug 25th 2019, 12:43 AM

    @TamuMassif2019: our state is 1 of the largest holders of American debt approximately $200bn

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Aug 25th 2019, 11:26 AM

    @Vote4Pedro: they owe China at least 5 times that Japan too.

    5
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    Mute pierre johnson
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    Aug 25th 2019, 11:07 PM

    @*The* Brendan Gordon: The Chinese only own 8% of the United States foreign debt. Much of the debt is owned by domestic treasury bond holders.

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    Mute Al Fresco
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    Aug 25th 2019, 12:19 AM

    I heard that Trump put in an offer to buy Poundland thinking that it was Poland.

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Aug 24th 2019, 11:10 PM

    I’m just surprised our lot haven’t sold Ireland to them, oh wait maybe it’s because our oil doesn’t belong to us anymore!

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Aug 25th 2019, 6:04 AM

    @Colette Kearns: there no natural resources in Ireland anyone wants. Not anywhere near enough.

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    Mute Larry Dunphy
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    Aug 25th 2019, 9:21 AM

    @Colette Kearns:
    What oil???

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    Mute P Mc G
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    Aug 25th 2019, 3:40 PM

    @Ronan McDermott: The drillship currently off the southwest coast says different

    4
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    Mute Ger Murphy
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    Aug 25th 2019, 3:22 AM

    And what about the EU? They bought Ireland without money

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    Mute The Risen
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    Aug 25th 2019, 4:36 AM

    Great suggestion from Bill Maher, buy the Amazon rainforest instead. As a fan of breathing I fully support this idea…

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    Mute Alan Wright
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    Aug 25th 2019, 11:24 AM

    @The Risen: Is it not like 80% of our oxygen comes from plankton blooms in the ocean? Hotter oceans means more plankton, hence more oxygen?

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    Mute Iarla Ó
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    Aug 25th 2019, 12:19 AM

    Louisiana should have been returned to the native Americans.

    41
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    Mute Frank Scanlon
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    Aug 25th 2019, 2:20 AM

    @Iarla Ó: Yeah sure they were big on altruistic gestures back in 1803

    37
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    Mute Toffeemac
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    Aug 24th 2019, 11:29 PM

    Non story he Loves the Danish Prime minister now

    27
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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Aug 24th 2019, 10:54 PM

    All the Cuban mafia had to settle in the US after the revolution in Cuba and with their links to the US mafia they influenced US foreign policy to Cuba because of the politicians links to the mafia in the US.

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    Mute Declan Edward
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    Aug 25th 2019, 4:33 AM

    Far from being a Trump supporter, but I’d advocate the full story, or at least the reasoning behind something he said/offered. With the new shipping routes through the Arctic it makes great sense to buy it (even though it’s not for sale) or even offer to buy it; the same as Russia and China, really. Traverse the world through quicker channels, at a fraction of the cost, is surely within the US’s interest; with no deed or taxes to pay like through the Panama Canal.

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    Mute Finbarr Cooper
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    Aug 24th 2019, 11:44 PM

    When he didn’t get that deal through maybe he’ll spend the money cleaning up the rat infested he on about that US citizens are living in. Make America Clean Again. He could start by getting the rodent off his head

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    Mute sean
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    Aug 25th 2019, 1:21 AM

    @Finbarr Cooper: Walked around the White House last September and the amount if rats was unreal. Amazing they do t control them

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Aug 24th 2019, 10:49 PM

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/nordic-freeze-iceland-prime-minister-boycotts-pence-visit
    No one likes Trump outside the US except mass killers and loons…

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    Mute Darren Forde
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    Aug 25th 2019, 10:18 AM

    Can we sell Ireland to some country that actually knows what it’s doing, say €20? I’d vote for that

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    Mute Henry Gaynor
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    Aug 25th 2019, 12:59 PM

    Based on Danish PM’s comment, shouldn’t she hand Greenland back to the Inuits.

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    Mute John Legat
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    Aug 25th 2019, 3:48 PM

    Better than the Brits, French, Spanish, Italians, Russians, Japanese, Chinese, etc.,
    going in and taking countries by force.

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    Mute Denis White
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    Aug 25th 2019, 6:16 PM

    They never paid in full for Alaska either

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    Mute Moorooka Mick
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    Aug 25th 2019, 10:07 PM

    American debt is now $22 Trillion so it should be selling property to repay debt; not offering to buy property and add to this mountain of debt.
    The media is being led by the nose Trump rants instead focusing on the real issue which
    is the Federal budget deficit of $1 trillion a year. While tariffs ( a defacto tax) can add
    $50 billion to the bourse, this is peanuts when compared with a $trillion budget deficit.

    One has now to seriously ask:
    “When will market confidence in the Greenback collapse?”

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    Mute Moorooka Mick
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    Aug 25th 2019, 10:11 PM

    @Moorooka Mick:
    The USA is like an alchie: blaming everything for its debt addiction without focusing on its real cause. Just have a look at The US accruel of debt in real time:

    https://www.usdebtclock.org

    Cheers
    MM

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Aug 25th 2019, 2:38 AM

    He’s an idiot and so is Trump & the world knows it , but yet we let them rule us?!

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