
Issue No 79		24 November 2000

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News

Cleaners Down Garbage Bags

By Andrew Casey

Domestic workers at Canberra's wealthiest school this week handed the school principal, as she arrived at work, green plastic garbage bags and other domestic implements.

The school's domestic staff are expected, as part of their duties, to serve, cater and clean at the up-market, and school-provided, Deakin home of Canberra Girls Grammar School principal, Alison Groom.

The workers - members of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union - are in dispute with the school over the non-payment of $4000 in over-time.

The school - one of the most privileged in Australia - charges student fees of between $5,000- $9000 a year.

" Our members have not been paid correct overtime since 1998.

" If a school gets top dollar funding from the Federal Government it should be accountable for the fact that it doesn't pay its workforce correctly," Lyndal Ryan, the LHMU assistant branch secretary said today.

One of the members of the school's Board is Peter Boxall, the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration.

" This school - the wealthiest in Canberra - has behaved in a miserly way to its employees.

" I appeal to the school principal, Ms Alison Groom, to step in and fix up this on-going sore between the school and the domestic staff.

" Ms Groom knows many of these people.

" They have loyally served, cleaned and catered at her home, as well as at the school, for many, many years."

On Tuesday morning the school's domestic workers handed the school principal, staff and students as they arrived at the school gates, green plastic garbage bags and other domestic implements to highlight the on-going dispute.

" We wanted the staff and students to take the garbage bags and information leaflets home to their families where they could discuss the issue of paying people the wages they are owed - and see it as essentially a social justice question.

" We were told social justice had won out at midday on Tuesday - but our hopes were dashed by Tuesday afternoon."

" After the garbage protest the school quickly promised that all will be fixed up, and that cheques for nearly three years of overtime and backpay will finally start to flow," Lyndal Ryan said.

" But the School broke their word and talks collapsed by close of business on Tuesday as the school disputed how much backpay and overtime they owed to domestic staff," Lyndal said..

" In one instance they owe a cleaner $199 in backpay - but they disputed this figure and said they only owed $2.76. "

It took nearly three years of union campaigning for the school to tell the LHMU they would pay overtime to their domestic staff. That concession came after the union organised a protest which garnered a lot of attention under the glare of local TV cameras.

Once the talks broke down the domestic workers at the school imposed new bans including banning the cleaning of toilets.

You can read an earlier story about this dispute and the union protest outside the school by clicking here.

" Our members are very loyal to the school. They really did not want to humiliate and embarrass the school but after years and years of politely requesting their money they had had enough," Lyndal Ryan said.

" Finally they thought their protest had resulted in justice being done - only to have their hopes dashed."

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  Issue 79 contents

Interview: Back on Track
After blowing the whistle on rail privatization, NSW Transport Minister Carl Scully is rebuilding bridges with the trade union movement.

Unions: The Problem with Organising
It may be the new mantra, but Brisbane Institute director Peter Botsman argues that organising may be the wrong to go for a movement attempting to attract a new breed of workers.

International: Burma: Workers Act on ILO Ruling
Energy workers' trade unions across the Asia-Pacific have urged Western oil and gas companies to "cease investment in Burma while the use of forced labour continues".

Economics: Rethinking Incomes Policy
While many have thrown incomes policy out with the Acoord bathwater, Graham White argues it still has a role to play.

History: What Goes Around Comes Around
Labor Council's Mark Lennon argues that while trade unions - and labour history - might be unfashionable, there's life left in both of them.

Education: Peas in a Pod
Both sides of politics must take blame for funding levels in our public schools, argues NSW Teachers Federation president Sue Simpson.

Satire: Hurley Rebukes Actors' Guild: I'm No Actor!
Liz Hurley has responded angrily to claims by actors that she crossed a picket line by filming an Estee Lauder ad.

Review: It's Only a Job
In a stunning new book, author Phil Thornton and photographer Paul Jones have combined to portray working life in all its diversity through the eyes of ordinary people like process worker Sharonak Shannon

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