Page 308 - Week 01 - Thursday, 13 February 2020
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Schools—cleaners
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (5.24): I use my adjournment speech tonight to talk about our public school cleaners. I want to celebrate and welcome 272 cleaners as employees of the ACT government. They are now into their second week of employment as ACT government employees. The insecurity of employment and the exploitation over the years of these workers, who are mostly migrant and refugee workers, by some cleaning contractors has been unacceptable.
The treatment that these cleaners received whilst they were employed by some cleaning contractors in this town was completely unacceptable. Nobody would accept that treatment from any employer, and neither should the government. In one example, a contract cleaning business underpaid these migrant workers, some of the most vulnerable people in this town, by up to $25,000. These workers were asked to sign contracts and agreements that they did not understand, which was found to have breached the Fair Work Act. The business was ordered to pay the money that it took off these cleaners, who were Sgaw Karen refugees from Thailand and Burma who spoke very little English and had spent two decades in refugee camps in Thailand before they were resettled in Australia.
I have heard other comments about the behaviour of some cleaning contractors that employed cleaners in this town. Karen Love, who is a cleaner at Macquarie Primary School and a grandmother, was quoted as saying that for a decade she had worked at that school for two different companies. For her, what being employed by the ACT government means is much-desired permanent and secure employment. She said that when her mum passed away she knew that she was entitled to bereavement leave but the boss told her that if she took leave she would be fired. When she got back, the boss was showing around a lady who was to take over her job. The boss said that if she ever took leave like that again, the other lady would have her job.
I am so happy, given some of the treatment of these cleaners, to be able to offer them the security of employment with the ACT government. I want to congratulate them and their union, the United Workers Union, for all their work over the years and for their work in the coming years as ACT government employees. I look forward to seeing them around our public schools. I have seen the immense pride that they take in the essential services that they provide in ensuring that our schools are clean and safe environments for students and school staff. I was very happy to welcome these 272 cleaners as ACT government employees.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
The Assembly adjourned at 5.28 pm until Tuesday, 18 February 2020, at 10 am.
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