Black janitors allege racial discrimination
Group plans to file human rights complaint
Seven black janitors being laid off from their cleaning jobs at a Halifax office building are accusing the property manager and an incoming contractor of racial discrimination.
The unionized workers of African descent, who clean Founders Square, said Friday they are filing a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.
But the property manager of the historic Hollis Street building said the former cleaning company was terminated because of poor service, and it’s up to the new contractor to decide who it hires.
In a statement, the Armour Group said its decision to part ways with GDI Integrated Facility Services was “performance based only.’’
“Our dissatisfaction with the cleaning services being performed was communicated in countless emails, phone calls and several in-person meetings with senior management at GDI over a period of 12 months,’’ the company said.
The Armour Group said it has a contractual obligation to maintain standards of cleanliness in the building, and that it received more than 200 complaints in 2017 about cleaning issues.
The property manager recently awarded its cleaning contract to Deep Down Cleaning Services, prompting GDI to issue layoff notices to all its cleaners at Founders Square.
Darius Mirshahi, an organizer with the Service Employees International Union Local 2, said the new cleaning contractor only rehired a white non-supervisory janitor.
The black janitors are all set to lose their jobs at the end of the month, he said.
“It’s very typical in this industry when a new contractor comes in that they keep the workers who are already working there, who know the building and have experience cleaning it,’’ Mirshahi said. “The basis of our complaint is racial discrimination.’’
But the Armour Group said it’s up to the new contractor, Deep Down Cleaning, to decide who it hires.
“Our sole concern in our vendor service contracts is the quality of work performed,’’ the company said.