Cleaner from Freiburg fights against bad pay – SWR Aktuell

They scrub floors, remove chewing gum and clean dirty toilets – and often for a pittance: cleaners at schools. A cleaning lady from Freiburg fought back.

For six years, Olga, who only wants to give her first name, cleaned schools in Freiburg for a cleaning company. She has also fought for overtime pay for just as long. And there were quite a few.

Employer did not want to pay overtime

She and her colleagues simply could not manage the workload in the time allotted, and overtime was piling up. Sometimes up to ten hours a week. But the cleaning company blocked the payment. The boss always tried to find a reason to fire her, she says. But Olga was undeterred and stayed.

Excuse for dismissal wanted

As a result, Olga became increasingly uncomfortable for her employer. She was eventually released for alleged theft. She resisted that too. Olga went to court and was right. Your lawyer, Stefan Jönsson from Kirchzarten (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district), knows the industry. At first glance, the payslips appear to be correct, but the reality is often different: Many benefits are simply not paid. Instead of an hourly wage of 10.80 euros, a flat rate would be agreed.

Price dumping in the cleaning industry

Many cleaning staff have a migration background and hardly speak any German. Because they are dependent on an employment contract, they often accept the starvation wages. The biggest problem is that these cleaning companies are growing like mushrooms, reports the lawyer. They are illegal on the market and would depress prices. Honest companies would have little chance of surviving on the market against this price dumping. “All the black sheep destroy the sensible employer,” Stefan Jönsson is convinced.

Union criticizes lax controls

These “black sheep” are also a thorn in the side of the IG Bau trade union. In Olga’s case, the cleaning company was even hired by the city of Freiburg. According to the union, efforts are being made there to get the matter under control. The problem, however, is that jobs often have to be advertised across Europe and the cheapest cleaning companies are therefore awarded the contract. Andreas Harnack from IG Bau is therefore demanding watertight procurement contracts and, above all, controls.

Proud of winning process

If there had been more controls, Olga would have been spared a trip to court. But she had the courage and it was rewarded. “I was very proud and satisfied,” says the cleaning lady happily. “I won! I didn’t let anyone put pressure on me.” Now Olga is looking for a new job – this time with fair conditions. After all, the minimum wage also applies in the cleaning industry.

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