Cleaners fight for better wages, conditions

Hundreds of cleaners will rally in cities across New Zealand and Australia today to demand improved wages and conditions from employers.

The Clean Start -- Fair Deal for Cleaners campaign will be launched in Auckland and Wellington at 2pm today to coincide with other rallies in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Perth and Sydney.

Central regions secretary for the Service and Food Workers Union Lucy Highfield, said New Zealand cleaners were only just paid better than minimum wage.

"And also the amount of time cleaners are employed for -- maybe two-hour shifts, three-hour shifts -- are very little.

"In fact 75 per cent of cleaners in New Zealand earn less than $20,000 a year, which is very little to live on and especially to support families on," she told National Radio today.

Ms Highfield said they wanted to focus on raising the visibility of commercial cleaners with the campaign.

"Our CBDs wouldn't operate unless our commercial cleaners were working there in the middle of the night walking from building to building.

"Our Clean Start campaign is about safe, secure and stable employment."

Ms Highfield said they would be addressing better wages and conditions for the workers.

The campaign is a global issue, with workers in Britain, Poland, Germany and the United States also joining the fight for higher wages.

Ms Highfield said cleaners were standing up and saying: "We need a better industry. We need a good quality well-paid cleaning industry in our city."

Among those lending their support at the rallies will be NZ Idol star Rosita Vai, Bishop Patrick Power of the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Canberra Raiders rugby league team captain Clinton Schifcofske.

- NZPA