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A hiring company rejected an offer from Victoria University of Wellington to complete its cleaners’ wages during the shutdown.
The decision has horrified and baffled Etū union, which represents the cleaners, who say there was no clear reason for OCS Limited NZ to reject the offer.
But the company says it had to apply a consolidated approach to all 4,000 of its contract staff across the country, and accepting the offer would not allow for consistency.
Yvette Taylor, organizer of E tū, said many hired cleaners earned just above the minimum wage anyway, and that supporting their families while paying the bills was already very difficult.
FORD MONICO / THINGS
Victoria University of Wellington
cleaning and union delegate Henok Gebre said he was discouraged because OCS Limited
decided to reject an offer from Victoria University of Wellington
it raises the wages of its cleaners during the closure.
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“We don’t understand why they did it … The university did the right thing, tried to fix it, but for some reason it hasn’t happened. It’s just terrible.”
Third-year student at Victoria University of Wellington, Henok Gebre, said the situation was discouraging.
“Most of my colleagues are parents who are the sole winners of their homes and were already struggling to earn the minimum wage.”
ROBERT KITCHIN / MATERIAL
Victoria University of Wellington made the right decision by offering to pay the wages of the hired cleaners, says the union that represents the cleaners. But the company did not take it.
“Given government subsidies, OCS could probably have been paid 100 percent as is. If you add the university’s offer, they would have been more than capable … we urge OCS to reconsider its position and do the right thing. “
Taylor said OCS Limited’s reasons for rejecting the offer made no sense, and all the information provided by the company on the matter had not been very clear.
“Normally there is no reason if a building owner says, ‘I want this money to go to cleaning,’ there should be no problem with that happening. I really have trouble understanding his reasoning.”
She said the hired cleaners were already under tremendous pressure in the run-up to closing, having to perform deep cleanings of large areas.
FORD MONICO / THINGS
Gebre said life was already difficult for many cleaners who earned just above the minimum wage.
“This situation is deeply frustrating. Cleaners are always the worst treated.”
“The money is there, and the workers desperately need it. A 20 percent cut in wages, when you have the minimum wage, is devastating. Therefore, a responsible employer would welcome this opportunity with open arms. Rejecting it is simply unpleasant. “
A spokeswoman for Victoria University of Wellington confirmed that she offered OCS Limited a financial contribution to the cleaners’ salary. “Other questions should be directed to OCS Limited,” he said.
Clinton McKee, OCS Limited general manager for the central region, said the company was very proud of its approach to dealing with all of its 4,000 contractors during the shutdown.
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An offer was made to fill the salaries of the hired cleaners at Victoria University of Wellington, but it was allegedly rejected.
The company took the position of dealing with all of its staff as a collective, to ensure consistency and that no one was fired, he said.
“From the outside, it could be difficult to see … it is not possible for our clients to direct our funds. [If we deal with things on a] site by site, we lose the way of seeing it as a consolidated approach.
“If customers direct where we put that funding, we lose the ability to look at the big picture.”
