Hotel cleaners have had enough. The workload is extremely high and the pay is less than that of fellow cleaners. On top of that, hotels consistently opt for the lowest price. This often leads to distressing situations, intimidation, and unpaid overtime.
The turnover in hotel cleaning is therefore alarming, and cleaning companies are struggling to attract new workers. That’s why today they are visiting cleaning employers CSU and EW in Amsterdam by bus.
Doing more in less time
‘Market forces should mean that wages go up,’ says hotel cleaner Nurdan Özkan, ‘but the opposite is true. We have to do more and more in less time, and we don’t even receive the irregularity allowances that other cleaners do. While we are the ones working those irregular hours and holidays.’
Equal allowances
The hotel cleaners are demanding equal allowances for all cleaners. Hotel cleaners currently receive a lower weekend and holiday allowance. FNV and CNV have put these demands forward in the CLA negotiations. Additionally, hotel cleaners demand that the cleaning bosses join them in insisting that hotels sign the Code of Responsible Market Conduct. Herrie Hoogenboom, union representative FNV Cleaning: ‘The cleaning bosses want normal employment relations, and we support that. It starts with respect and taking people seriously. And by stopping the impossible demands.’
CLA with respect
At the end of October, negotiations for the new CLA for 150,000 cleaners began. Key points for the cleaners are a 5% salary increase, a scheme for older cleaners to work shorter hours and have more leave, including a day off on 1 May, Labour Day. Additionally, they want equal rights and quicker permanent contracts for temporary workers.
‘Respect takes many forms,’ says Khadija Tahiri, president of FNV Cleaning. ‘The cleaning bosses must take cleaners and our CLA seriously. We want normal treatment of sick colleagues and we want unwanted behaviour such as discrimination and intimidation to be addressed. Unfortunately, this still occurs in many places. Respect should also be evident in recognising our right to stand up for ourselves.’