Despite a pre-election commitment, the government is allowing public schools to privatise school cleaning.

The privatisation of school cleaning impacts hugely on a school community. Contractors often cut hours and Cleaners are forced to do more and more in less time. It often falls to Teachers to pick up the extra duties.

Why is privatisation in schools so bad?

• Impact on children
• Impact on Cleaners
  • lower pay
  • loss of leave entitlements - changeover of contractor
  • high workloads
  • no job security
  • lack of training
  • higher risk to health and safety employees
  • lack of and poor quality of quipment
• Cleaning standards are compromised - extra workloads for Education Assistants and Teachers
• Management of Cleaners' employment and supervision of work is not localised
• Private companies never provide services cheaper and better than in-house cleaners

Why should schools be government staffed and run?

Public services provide the back-bone of quality and accountability in our schools. If the government continues to sell off key public services it will undermine the quality of services provided everywhere.

Every function within schools is integrated, they work together to provide education. Teachers, Educations Assistants, Cleaners, Gardeners and Administration Staff all work together to provide high standards of education.

By selling off parts of these services, like school cleaning, the State Government is taking apart the system and undermining education outcomes .  Why?  Because the people who work in schools work as a team.  If they are accountable to different employers, public accountability and responsibility is lost.

"The issues in relation to contract cleaning wasn't so much the quality of cleaning, as the contractors did as good as they could under the time limit and resources they had, it was about developing a relationship with the cleaner. There was no consistency with the workforce - you didn't personally know them. I was never sure what wages and conditions cleaners were being paid and that concerned me. I had to presume the contractor was paying the right rate of pay."

- Trevor Vaughan - Principal at Lathlain Primary School until 2000

"When my job went back in-house my role became more personal. I felt included and appreciated in the school environment. It was easy to communicate about workplace matters and issues at a local level with the Registrar or Principal. It would normally take the contractor days to return your call let alone resolve any employment issues or queries I had. There was a notable absense of contract area supervisors when you need support or help."

- Terry Milligan - School Cleaner

"The communication book for a contract cleaner to advise the school on matters and vice versa was an extra workload and responsibility for me. It also exposed the cleaner. I also had to spend time accompanying management of the contractor when in attendance at the school doing a site visit/inspection."

- Trevor Vaughan - Principal at Lathlain Primary School until 2002

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