Cleaners rally worldwide

Date: 16 June 2003

A huge clearance sale marking International Justice for Cleaners Day, is getting underway as cleaners demand that Westfield Malls clear out injustice.

"Their jobs are contracted to the lowest bidder at the expense of the workers they employ.

"Low wages, low hours, no job security, not enough time and poor equipment are the lot of cleaners, who work at times when no-one can see them," said Dave Kelly, WA Secretary of the Miscellaneous Workers Union.

"But the workers who clean Frank Lowy's Westfield shopping centres - here and in the USA - are not happy.

"The buck stops with Westfield. They can change this. Lowy can sit down with the cleaners unions and negotiate a fair deal, said Mr Kelly.

"Cleaners from all areas of WA industry - hotels, shopping centres, schools, offices will march together on 11.30 am Monday June 16 at the Carousel Shopping Centre, to shine some light on a very murky industry," said Mr Kelly.

"International Justice for Cleaners Day is the day when cleaners and the issues they confront every day are brought out into the day light," said Mr Kelly.

Unions in the USA - the SEIU - and Australia - the LHMU - are closely co-operating this year in a campaign to urge the 120 world-wide Westfield malls to respect workers rights.

As multinationals, like Westfield, grow and expand union members have learned to think globally and find new strategies to win some justice for themselves.

CONTACT

Dave Kelly

PHONE 08 9388 5400

MOBILE 0403 572 048

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