Cleaning industry: Higher minimum wages are no substitute for respect
Allpura, the association of Swiss cleaning companies, still sees a major deficit in the lack of appreciation for cleaning staff. This is expressed, among other things, in the unfair structuring and remuneration of orders. The association sees cleaning companies as well as their customers as having a duty in this respect.
Karin Funk, Managing Director of Allpura, the association of Swiss cleaning companies, declares fair working conditions and compliance with the collective labor agreement, including minimum wages, to be a matter for the boss: "Allpura and our members have no interest whatsoever in violations of the collective labor agreement. Individual black sheep repeatedly bring all other cleaning companies into disrepute. Yet the vast majority of cleaning companies abide by the rules! They are committed to fair working conditions and wages, support employees through training and continuing education, and often pay wages that are higher than the agreed CLA wage."
Change in the cleaning industry
In fact - largely unnoticed by the public - a massive change has been taking place in the Swiss cleaning industry for years. For example, minimum wages have increased by around 25%. Currently, they stand at CHF 3,422 for maintenance cleaners without an apprenticeship, plus a 13th month's pay and sick pay insurance. For commercial cleaners EFZ, i.e. after completing a 3-year apprenticeship, the minimum wage is CHF 4,500 plus 13th month's pay. In addition, compliance with the wages is monitored. The Joint Commission of the Cleaning Industry carries out regular wage inspections. Violations by companies are punished with fines. In addition, employees of cleaning companies, customers and outsiders can report suspected violations to the PK Reinigung at any time.
Fair hourly rates for good work
"The association Allpura and its members strictly reject unfair working conditions such as work on call! But to every order there are two. In the course of the cheap-is-cool mentality, some clients still find a billable hourly rate of CHF 30 reasonable, while for the gardener or electrician, CHF 90 is charged as a matter of course. However, with billable hourly rates of CHF 30, no cleaning company can keep a reasonable budget. Anyone who wants to help cleaners should take a look at the rates paid by their employer or their own household," explains Karin Funk.
Additional income in cleaning secures the existence
Precarious working conditions prevail in some industries. This is the only way Allpura can explain the fact that many people in the cleaning industry are looking for additional income - in addition to their job in another industry. In this respect, the cleaning industry also fulfills an important social and economic task - many people can supplement their poor salaries in another industry thanks to their part-time job in cleaning and thus secure their existence. Karin Funk also emphasizes the integrating role played by the cleaning industry, with its 95% share of migrants: "For many migrants who have not yet mastered the national language, a job in cleaning is the first step towards entering Swiss professional life. This step helps them to integrate better in our country, establish social contacts and gain work experience."
Cleaning - like other crafts - deserves appreciation
The Allpura managing director emphasizes that appreciation should also be a matter of course in the cleaning industry: "Efficient, value-preserving and environmentally friendly cleaning is a craft that needs to be learned. Professional cleaning has nothing to do with cleaning as we all know it privately in our households. Without cleaning staff, hospitals would have to close within a few hours. The modern facades of our cities would become unsightly in no time. Public buildings would no longer represent us, and we would all feel uncomfortable in our workplaces. Already today, many can relate to the fact that their employer saves costs by reducing the cleaning of toilets and offices. We at Allpura also hear time and time again about tenders for contracts that only have the goal of ever cheaper services. But the same always still more cheaply does not go simply," explains Karin radio decidedly.
For Allpura, appreciation is also related to the general conditions of orders. While, as in other industries, there is less and less time available for work in cleaning, price pressure is increasing and margins are shrinking, the challenge for cleaning companies is growing. Demanding higher wages is one side of the coin, but getting customers to pay them is the other.
Source: Allpura
