NEW STATUTORY MINIMUM PAY RATE FOR CONTRACT CLEANERS FROM LATE DECEMBER
Labour Party spokesperson on Labour Affairs and Workers Rights, Senator Ged Nash, has welcomed the signing of the amended Employment Regulation Order for the Contract Cleaning Sector, which will see 34, 000 contract cleaners benefit from three new pay rate increases over the next two years.
By December 2018, the new statutory minimum rate of pay for a contract cleaner in Ireland will have risen from €9.75 per hour (1 October 2015) to €10.80, under Joint Labour Committee legislation introduced by the previous government.
The practice of cleaners having to pay for their own uniforms will also be brought to an end under the terms of the new cleaning Employment Regulation Order (ERO) signed by the Minister of State for Small Business & Employment last Friday, and agreed by trade unions and employers in the context of the contract cleaning Joint Labour Committee negotiations.
Senator Nash said:
“I signed the first ERO under the new legislation in October 2015. This Order, and the one applying to security workers, was made possible under legislation Labour introduced in government.
A new pay rate of €10.05 will come into effect in late December. From last Friday, the outdated and unfair practice of deductions and charges for uniforms was brought to an end.
The new Employment Regulation Order will see the rate go up to €10.40 on the 1st December 2017 and €10.80 per hour the following December.
Labour is proud of the role we played in re-establishing the JLC system. This is making a real difference to the lives of 34,000 contract cleaners in terms of this ERO alone.
We have seen marked progress for working people and improved pay rates, job security and trade union rights as a direct result of legislation we passed to set up the Low Pay Commission, establish a new Registered Employment Agreement and Sectoral Employment Order system, and with the introduction of strong collective bargaining legislation.
Our work to ensure fairness and decency at work continues.
I will move our Uncertain Hours Bill to Second Stage in the Seanad in two weeks time. There are still too many people in this country going to bed on a Sunday night and not knowing how many hours they will work and therefore how much they will earn that week. This legislation seeks to better regulate low hours and uncertain hours work and give people more security and certainty in terms of their working week.”