International Day of Justice for Cleaners & Security Guards

E tū says great strides have been taken in winning fairer wages for cleaners and security guards, but there is still a lot more to do.

Campaign Lead Organiser, Mat Danaher says Wellington City Council is leading the way, with wages for their contract security guards and cleaners expected to increase to the Living Wage of $20.20 an hour from July.

“It has taken years of campaigning by E tū and the other unions, faith organisations, and community groups in Wellington to get us to this point,” says Mat.

“Campaigning has also resulted in directly employed workers including cleaners and security guards at Auckland Council moving towards the Living Wage from September this year.”

Mat says this means there is much to celebrate today which is International Day of Justice for Cleaners and Security Guards.

But he says, thousands of cleaners and security guards around the country still await the justice of a Living Wage whilst working alongside others on this much higher pay rate.

Auckland cleaner Tuaine says: “From September, there are going to be cleaners working across the road doing a very similar job for several dollars more an hour.

“Meanwhile I have to clean up human waste from the floors and walls on a daily basis for a few cents an hour above the minimum wage. Cleaning is hard, dirty work and only the Living Wage can give us the justice we need”, she says.

Mat says he wants to see thousands more cleaners and security guards paid the Living Wage by 15 June next year, so they too have something to celebrate.

“Justice for cleaners and security guards is the reason we and our allies in the Living Wage Movement are focussed on this campaign”, says Mat.

ENDS

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