They clean schools and offices, ensure hygiene in hospitals and nursing homes: The 2,470 cleaning staff in the urban district of Freiburg, 2,230 cleaning staff in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district, 860 cleaning staff in the Emmendingen district, 1,530 cleaning staff in the Ortenau district, 1,400 cleaning staff in the Lörrach district, 1,430 cleaning staff in the Black Forest -Baar-Kreis and 950 cleaning staff in the Waldshut district do an indispensable job not only in times of a pandemic. But when it comes to pay, employees are threatened with a severe step backwards. The building cleaning union IG BAU warns of this. “Cleaners are currently paid at least 11.55 euros per hour – well above the statutory minimum wage. But that will rise to 12 euros in October. If nothing happens by then, building cleaners would go home with the absolute minimum wage. This is clearly not enough for the important and professional work they do,” says Ilse Bruttel.
The district chairwoman of IG BAU Südbaden therefore demands that employees continue to be paid “significantly more than the statutory minimum wage” – at least 13.73 euros per hour. A specific number for which the trade unionist gives clear reasons: “The special industry minimum wage in building cleaning was previously 1.73 euros above the statutory lower wage limit. It has to stay that way. Companies will only be able to find staff for the industry at all if the payment continues to be attractive,” says Bruttel. The IG BAU demands that at the same time the income for specialists – for example in glass and facade cleaning – increase significantly.
With a view to the price increases, it is now important that employees receive a substantial increase in wages. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the inflation rate reached 7.4 percent in April, a new high since reunification. “People on a tight budget often don’t know how to get through to the end of the month. Expensive energy and food are also a problem for cleaning staff. They often work part-time and have to count every penny twice,” says Bruttel.
However, during the last collective bargaining on May 23, the Federal Guild Association of the Building Cleaning Trade (BIV) “did not present anything that gives hope for a quick collective bargaining agreement”. Employers should now improve their offer quickly – to avoid trouble with their employees, according to IG BAU Südbaden. Under the motto “We don’t sweat for minimum wage”, cleaning workers in the region are already preparing for protest actions. Collective bargaining for around 700,000 employees across Germany will enter the next round on June 2nd in Frankfurt am Main.
(Press info: Industry Union Construction, Agriculture and Environment, District Association South Baden, 24.05.2022)
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