I use cleaning services
Guarantee that the Cleaners Union will ensure that cleaners are being treated ethically
A Union just for cleaners
The Cleaners Union is a Union representing Cleaners throughout the UK. We are an organisation that stands up for the rights of Cleaners and helps provide them with a voice to speak out against the exploitation and abuse taking place within the workplace.
No other Trade Union supports the rights of Cleaners throughout the entirety of the UK. The majority of Trade Unions are generalist Trade Unions that focus on the larger industry. However, The Cleaners’ Union is a Union representing solely Cleaners within any space working throughout the UK.
A message from our founder
Cleaners are an integral part of any workplace, but they often feel unseen and unheard. Unfortunately, this is also a problem in generalist Trade Unions where the focus is on the more ‘traditional’ jobs to the detriment of cleaners. Cleaners often found themselves on the front line during the current pandemic. The public recognition of Cleaners as key workers at the start of the pandemic was immediate. This has now yet again dwindled and Cleaners have been returned to the “Cleaning Cupboard” and ignored. The Cleaners’ Union is established to changes this. We want to create a space where cleaners’ voices are heard, where Cleaners’ also feel they are being heard, the key role they play in any environment is valued, where they can air their grievances safely and, where we can help them find solutions. The Cleaners’ Union is the first Union set up in the UK to address the needs solely of those working in the cleaning profession. This is intended. We are determined to end workplace abuses and exploitation of cleaners and secure a fairer future for cleaners. By organising in this way, we can.
There have been a number of questions around trade union membership. It is important to emphasise that, in the UK, trade Union membership is a legal right and it is illegal to discriminate against any member of the workforce due to their union membership. Employers are obliged to allow you join any union you would like to join. We expect employers to promote trade union membership. The Cleaners Union will ensure that your membership with us is protected and will defend you against any discrimination taking place within your workplace.
As an individual you are vulnerable within the workplace and your one voice cannot have much of an effect. A large group working together and speaking as one can make a difference. Being part of a union will ensure that you have members not only representing you but providing you with strength in numbers. This will allow you to have a representative body that will ensure you are protected against exploitation and any workplace abuses you may face.
The Cleaners Union is partnered up with CADRE, which is an organisation that handles alternative dispute resolution.
Through our partnership with CADRE, a group specialising in mediation, arbitration, and adjudication, we make sure you have access to ADR professionals who can help you resolve any disputes you may face as employees
We offer support and guidance to make sure the treatment of cleaners is ethical.
The result?
An environment that motivates your cleaners to give their very best. Not because that’s what they’re employed to do, but because you recognise their rights. This relates to employers and not cleaners
Due to this the Cleaners Union can ensure that all disputes are handled in a manner that quickly resolves disputes and problems and is inexpensive. This will ensure that members as well as employers do not need to face lengthy employment cases and the burden of going to court.
- Trade Unions were born out of the vastly cruel working conditions and abuses of the 19th century industrial boom and were legalised in 1871. They are in place to stand up for their members in workplace disputes, to prevent employee abuses, stand up for workers’ rights and further their interests.
- Trade Unions carry out several functions to support their members such as to ensure that they are being paid fairly, are working in a safe environment, and are being provided the correct equipment and gear to carry out their work safely and Trade Unions also ensure that their members are not facing any discrimination within the workplace and negotiate on the workers behalf for better pay and working conditions.
- Trade Unions play an absolutely key role in protecting workers’ rights through negotiating better wages and working conditions for their members.
The Cleaners Union was founded to protect the rights of cleaners. Throughout the pandemic everyone in sanitisation services was forced to work in unsafe conditions and did not have the option of self-isolating at home like other workers.
Around 5% of the UK workforce comprises of cleaners. This means that around 1.63 million people within the UK are working as cleaners. Yet Union membership for Cleaners is incredibly low.
The Cleaners Union believes that this is due to lack of awareness and aims to redress this. We want cleaners to be aware of what their rights are and how becoming part of the Cleaners Union will help them.
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News & Updates
Cleaners Union condemns the unacceptable treatment of cleaners and security staff identified in Sue Gray’s report
The references in Sue Gray’s report into the so-called ‘partygate scandal’ revealed a numberof examples of “unacceptable” treatment of cleaners and security staff during the