FLEX, 2021,“Participatory Research with Cleaners in the UK”
A new research report on the cleaning sector in Britain has starkly illustrated – in the words of cleaners themselves – the kinds of abuses and injustices which many face at work.
These stories are why Clean for Good was founded – as an ethical alternative to ‘business as usual’ – and they show an urgent need for reform across the cleaning sector.
The report “If I could change anything about my work…participatory research with cleaners in the UK” has been published by FLEX, a charity which works to end labour exploitation. We hope it is widely read.
Report findings
The cleaning sector is large – over 340,000 workers across the country, and this is probably an underestimate. With an annual revenue of over £5.6 billion, the sector is big business.
But the new report, based on research with cleaners, draws this blunt conclusion:
“The cleaning workforce is an invisible yet essential security net on which we, as a society, rely on… Yet, as the limited number of studies available on this sector show, labour abuse is widespread and endemic to the sector.” (page 42)
The report goes on to highlight the kinds of abuses which many cleaners face at work, under four main headings, with all of these quotes drawn from the report:
1 - Pay
“Sometimes they didn’t pay me for the overtime I’d done, or things like that. One month they didn’t pay me [at all] and then I had to talk to them about it. I spoke with my supervisor directly, because I never saw the manager.”
Interview, Spanish-Peruvian cleaner, 15 October 2019 (page 16)
2 - Sick Leave
“I was sick for three months. They never paid me. Nothing. I had to phone HMRC and they [...] told me they aren’t responsible for paying me, that my employer was, because I had a sick note. But they didn’t. “
Interview, Angolan Cleaner, 25 July 2019 (page 20)
3 - Health and Safety
“When I worked in the train station, the cleaning firm that had won the bid to be the cleaning contractor for the station constantly tried to keep costs down. I had to wear [the same] disposable gloves multiple times and clean up things like vomit and urine.“
Focus group participant, Romanian-speaking cleaners, 15 February 2020 (page 23)
4 - Sexual Harassment
“One day he tried to touch me, and I stopped him, and from that day everything started going wrong. He started changing my rota; he would post one rota on Monday and then change it in the middle of the week, so I missed shifts.”
Interview, Colombian cleaning manager, 7 June 2019 (page 26)
The report goes on to identify numerous risk factors that make these abuses more likely in some companies and situations. Chief amongst the risk factors is the outsourcing of cleaning to another company done primarily for cost savings.
We can do better
Clean for Good was founded in 2017 to show that it is possible to deliver a professional cleaning service and also deliver fair pay and dignity at work. We are a Living Wage Employer, we ensure our team are paid correctly and on time, we do not rely on statutory sick pay but pay occupational sick leave to all employees from day one of their work for us. We work hard in every area of the business to ensure dignity at work for our team.
But it is clear that when many employers outsource their cleaning, they are outsourcing their values too, and not paying enough attention to how those outsourced cleaners are being treated – even on their own premises.
In our own recent report on Ethical Sourcing we have outlined how it is possible to outsource cleaning responsibly if employers ask the right questions and insist on the right standards.
The report from FLEX calls for greater regulation and enforcement from Government in the cleaning sector and we would agree with that.
But we also firmly believe that we don’t need to wait Government action; every organisation which employs cleaners – in-house or outsourced – can take steps today to ensure that their cleaners are well treated.
As a minimum, we would recommend that everyone who uses cleaners:
Employs them directly, with full employment rights
Pays them a Living Wage, or more
Provides Terms and Conditions which are above statutory minimums, particularly for sick pay
Builds a working culture of respect
If your organisation would like to explore this further, please get in touch with us. It is why we are here.
Clean for Good is an ethical cleaning company for London, cleaning offices and workspaces across the city. We are a Living Wage Employer, we directly employ our cleaners and we train and manage our cleaners professionally. Founded in a church in the City of London by a group of churches and charities, we launched in 2017 and continue to grow.
For more information and to get a free quote for cleaning your offices, go to www.cleanforgood.co.uk
Follow us at @clean4good.
Tim Thorlby is the Managing Director of Clean for Good. You can find him at @TimThorlby.