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Cleaners battle Serco SodexhoDate: 11 September 2006
Cleaners working in the Defence Department's Russell Offices will protest against the way Serco Sodexho is treating their request for collective bargaining at midday today, under Canberra's Australian-American Friendship Memorial - " The Eagle" . Several cleaners - who have worked in these Defence offices for decades - face losing their jobs today because they want to be covered by a collective agreement and won't sign AWAs.
Bishop calls on multinational giant to respect cleaners' petition for collective agreementThe Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra-Goulburn, Bishop Pat Power, received a petition from the cleaners asking for his support.The Bishop then wrote to Serco Sodexho asking the company to respect the wishes of the majority of the cleaners who want a collective agreement - not the AWA individual contracts. But the multi-national giant has ignored even these pleas from this key local religious community leader. The cleaners want a job offer for all existing staff on current hours.Any changes that need to be made to suit Serco Sodexho’s requirements to be made in consultation with them after they commence their contract.
Russell Office cleaners have always stood together - through good times and bad timesChris Wagland a cleaner at Russell Offices for 22 years has stood side by side with her fellow work mates through half a dozen contract-cleaning changes.They have become friends and shared their joys and sorrows. And whether in their family lives or their working lives when they have faced problems they have stood beside each other. " Now the Russell Office cleaners, along with other defence cleaners, are donning their fatigues and preparing for a stand against Serco Sodexho’s attempts to break their ranks," ACT LHMU Cleaners Union Assistant Secretary, Lyndal Ryan, said.
Defence may be repeating procurement decision mistakes" Serco Sodexho is the multinational company that has just been awarded the garrison support contract by the Department of Defence." But their decision to accept Serco Sodexho’s tender might be repeating the mistakes associated with other department of defence procurement decisions – Defence should know by now that a cheap price doesn’t always prove to be a bargain.
Majority want collective agreement - not individual contracts" The majority of the cleaning staff at defence wants to be covered by a collective agreement and they are very unhappy with how the contract change has been handled."Chris Wagland is one of the cleaners affected, she is some-what of an expert when is comes to contract change having been through a half dozen contract changes since the time she first started cleaning at Russell.
Bosses put in tender knowing it will mean a pay cut for low-paid cleaners“ When we first met managers at Serco Sodexho they told us that they expected the cleaners to take a cut in pay of around $25.00 per week," Lyndal Ryan said." The cleaners told them that they could not afford it but the company said that it was determined to press on.
Military people at Defence Force Academy Open Day stopped cleaners' protest" So the cleaners started a petition and rallied and we handed out fliers and balloons at the Australian Defence Forces Academy(ADFA) Open Day - until military people asked us to move on." It worked, they agreed to pay us the correct rate of pay but Serco Sodexho is still determined to press on with their AWAs ( individual contracts).”
Serco-Sodexho doesn't seem to understand our demand to be respectedChris Wagland said, “I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I have received a job offer and thankfully I didn’t have to accept a cut in pay but what of my work-mates? Some haven’t received and job offer at all and all of us feel disrespected." The majority of cleaners want a collective agreement but our wishes have been completely ignored. The money is one thing, job security and respect are important too – Serco Sodexho does not seem to understand this at all."
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