Christmas leave dispute

A C O MMUNI C A T I O N breakdown between university campus cleaning staff and their employer has led to a bitter dispute over leave entitlements.

When UTAS cleaning contractor GJK Facility Services took over from previous servicer ISS Facility Services this year, cleaners were afforded all leave entitlements they had accrued under their old employer.

They will receive four weeks’ paid leave per year to be taken over the Christmas period, but unions are arguing that since the company took over in May, cleaners will have only worked up two weeks’ worth of leave to take at Christmas, meaning the additional two weeks would be taken from future entitlements.

United Voice organiser Sarah Ellis, who led a rally at the UTAS Sandy Bay campus yesterday, said workers weren’t informed about impending changes at the changeover of contractors.

“The new contractor came in in April and since then it’s just been one thing after another, from taking away breaks to increasing workloads,” she said. “Workers were never told about this cut in their leave and we also believe this is a breach of their award.”

Unions, students and cleaners protested at the Sandy Bay campus yesterday, but UTAS chose not to state whether or not it would support its cleaners over the pay dispute.

GJK chief executive Steve Taylor said the company would ensure no employee will go unpaid. “What GJK has proposed to United Voice is that all UTAS cleaners, required to take four weeks leave over the quiet Christmas period, will continue to be paid at the usual rate for all four of the weeks,” Mr Taylor said.