Office cleaners face underpayment, mistreatment and abuse, report says
...Commercial cleaning staff, usually women and migrant workers, complained of being frequently mistreated by employers, who often ignore obligations to provide holiday and sick pay, according to the new study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), The Invisible Workforce: Outsourcing and Employment in the Cleaning Sector.
.... The wholesale outsourcing of office cleaning to agencies from the 1970s (when most organisations had in-house cleaners) has led to downward pressure on wages and working conditions. "Contracts often place cleaning firms under enormous pressure to deliver a high-quality service at the lowest cost possible. This often has a negative impact on employment practices, affecting pay, the intensity of work, job security, training and working hours," the report finds.
The cleaning sector contributes more than £8bn to the British economy, and consists of around half a million workers, the report states. The workforce is comparatively old, with those between 45 and 54 years accounting for 26%, and those over 55 accounting for a further 22%. In London, migrant workers make up as much as 44% of the total workforce. Migrant workers' poor command of English and lack of knowledge about employment rights makes them particularly vulnerable to mistreatment.
Cleaners interviewed reported pay rates for private sector contracts ranging between £5 and £7.50 an hour, indicating that some are paid below the national minimum wage of £6.31. While the study conceded that those who were underpaid were the minority, researchers found "a significant number of workers are not paid in full, or do not receive the holiday or sick pay they are entitled to"....
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/aug/13/cleaners-underpayment-mistreatment-abuse-report
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