{"id":63011,"date":"2025-06-06T07:38:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T21:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging\/?p=63011"},"modified":"2025-07-29T11:56:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T01:56:24","slug":"union-welcomes-moves-to-fix-broken-cleaning-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging\/media-release\/union-welcomes-moves-to-fix-broken-cleaning-system\/","title":{"rendered":"UNION WELCOMES MOVES TO FIX BROKEN CLEANING SYSTEM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s news on plans to de-privatise 7000 NSW school and government cleaning jobs<\/a> will provide huge relief to a workforce that has faced difficult conditions for far too long, United Workers Union NSW Secretary Mel Gatfield said today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe welcome the NSW Government\u2019s bold decision to de-privatise 600 school cleaning jobs in the Hunter and Central Coast, and further steps to address contract conditions for another 6400 cleaners,\u201d Ms Gatfield said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see the Hunter de-privatisation as great progress towards insourcing all 7000 NSW school and government cleaners, with massive benefits under the new model for schools, students, teachers and cleaners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Premier and Deputy Premier are to be thanked for finally listening to these workers, and taking significant measures to address their precarious situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s reportage of unclean toilets in schools comes as no surprise when cleaners are driven by unforgiving contract specs that demand cleaners perform 600 tasks a day, or 43 seconds a task.<\/p>\n

\u201cCleaners in NSW schools and government buildings have faced impossible workloads and terrible conditions that have almost been hidden in plain sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cCleaners have stood up, spoken out and fought for change on these issues, and it\u2019s going to be a huge relief for them that their years-long campaigning is resulting in major reforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 30-year regime of private contracting is a broken system that leaves workers injuring themselves as they rush from job to job, often without the equipment they need, and then they even struggle to get paid correctly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner James Cockayne recommended last year<\/a> that insourcing of NSW school cleaners was an appropriate measure to address \u2018modern slavery risks\u2019 our members face every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe commit to working alongside the NSW Government to ensure the insourcing occurs smoothly, and the worst features of existing contracts are addressed before contract changeover due at the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Background: <\/strong><\/p>\n

School cleaners in NSW are often drawn from migrant communities and bear the weight of unrealistic contract specifications enforced by profit-driven private contractors. The union has documented:<\/p>\n