Zoe Moffatt
School cleaners are warning that teachers across Melbourne’s north-west may have to vacuum their own classroom floors following a new deal which could slash cleaning contract hours by more than 50 per cent.
In a major shake-up of cleaning contracts, the state government has awarded school cleaning contracts to Serco and Tradeflex for 2024.
The new contracts will run from January 15 to Christmas Day 2024 and will replace ISS Facility Services, whose contract formally ends on December 22, according to the United Workers Union (UWU).
Star Weekly has been told many existing cleaners have not yet been offered contracts, been told their hours will be reduced or have been offered only verbal contracts following the change of providers.
Mick Lynch has been a leading hand cleaner at a western suburbs school for three years and received his new contract from Serco on December 11, cutting his hours in half.
“I’ve got seven days to sign… accept or decline,“ he said. “I do six hours a day and they’ve cut it back to three hours a day.
“I’m a leading hand, they’ve taken that off… and they’ve turned around and said you’re going back to a level one [from a level two]. We’ve got a massive school we’ve got to try and clean.
“The ones that are going to suffer are going to be the children and the teachers in the classrooms.
“They might have to finish up vacuuming their own floors, that’s how bad this is going to get.”
Not only are the cleaners facing having their hours being cut in half, but Mr Lynch said they will lose income from the public holidays during this period due to the gap in the contract changeover.
UWU property service organiser Corey Matthews said the change to Tradeflex covers 118 schools and 286 cleaners by the UWU’s count in Jagajaga, Scullin, McEwen and Cooper.
For Tradeflex, Mr Matthews said the main problems are that cleaners have not been offered contracts yet or they have been offered verbal agreements.
“The UWU’s advice has been that the department’s expectations to Serco and Tradeflex were for a smooth transition, no reduction in hours or levels of pay, nor services.“
Mr Matthews said public school cleaners have been outsourced since the Kennett government in the 1990s and the current situation is evident of the inherent flaws with the contractor system.
“The only solution would be to bring all the cleaners in house directly employed by the government,“ he said.
A Department of Education spokesperson said the department is exploring opportunities to further strengthen the delivery of cleaning services in government schools.
“We are facilitating the transition and actively working with the service providers to ensure a smooth process for schools and cleaning staff, which will be in place until late December 2024,” they said.
A spokesperson for Tradeflex said they have actively reached out to ISS employees to offer the opportunity to meet and discuss working with Tradeflex.
“[Tradeflex] is offering all candidates, including these former ISS workers, a range of permanent full time and part-time work, based on the shift requirement per school and the level of experience required,” they said.
“Recruitment remains in progress and we hope to complete this process by the end of December.”
