Short staff cleaners but you want it clean ?

I heard this story at a union conference about 5 years ago. It was presented as one of the union victories for the year. There was a company who employed around twenty or so cleaners. The award agreement for the amount of cleaners worked by square feet of floor space, number of toilets, number of hand basins, number of staff kitchens, bins etc. Both union and management had got to the same number and the staff were worked fairly.

After a couple of years new management take over and stop using casual cleaners for backfill for leave etc. This means each day they are basically short staff not making the agreement terms. Than a couple staff leave and not replaced. Management start complaining that the place isn't up standard and customers had complained. They threaten the staff with punishment etc. One of the cleaners calls the union and union calls an industrial dispute with the employer.

In the dispute the employer has no where to go on this. The award spells out the formula for staffing and the union basically say if you don't like we will take you court and you lose after spending a heap of money. HR argue but basically agree to employ more staff and put some casuals on. They say well it may take a few weeks to advertise and interview etc etc so you will have to be patient. There was a real feeling that they were not going to try to hard

The union says sure on these conditions 1. You can no longer threaten punishment about work due to the short staffing 2. you try your best to get staff 3. That cleaners will clean only the amount covered by the award each day 4. any complaints to be given to the union not the staff during this time.

The third point becomes the sticking point but HR agree on the condition that cleaners make the customer side of the business a priority. Its agreed upon. The union leave with the distinct impression HR will drag their feet on employing new staff. The union goes to the staff and say what's happened and the staff are unhappy about not getting staff immediately. The union organiser tells you only have clean so much space so focus on the customer side of the business and we ask you than not to clean any of The HR staff offices, tea room or toilets. The same goes for the executive staff area of any department managers office. Don't even empty a bin there. Be completely compliant with the offer.

So after a week HR hasn't advertised or employed any new staff but the cleaners report that all the office kitchens in HR and executive look untidy and the bathrooms smell a bit. Bins are filling up fast etc. At the beginning of the second week the union gets a phone call about cleaners not doing their work from HR. The union asks is the customer side clean and they agree it very clean. Well the union says this is our agreement. Still HR doesn't advertise for jobs. . By the end of second week the CEO asks the cleaners why the offices look terrible. The cleaners say ring the union. There is complaints coming from everywhere in the company about the state of staff amenities etc and the CEO is unhappy The CEO rings and organise a meeting with the union for the next day.

BY this stage the executive office bins are overflowing, the managers offices are dusty. The bathrooms are far from clean and since no cleaner been in there , there is no soap or toilet paper. In the meeting the CEO asks what's going on with your union members. The union organiser explains about their deal with HR and the short staffing. The union organiser state we have been completely compliant with what was asked of us. The CEO claims he's was unaware The CEO is livid. HR is rang and asked to explain. HR gets blasted and jobs get advertised that day. A deal is struck for overtime for any cleaner who will clean the offices of the executives.

The union had the extra staff employed within two weeks(plus a casual pool) . Some of the union members picked up some handy overtime money too. Every meeting with the company after that was highly productive for the union and it's members.