Contract cleaners are set to receive a pay rise from next week, after Minister of State for Business Employment and Retail Damien English confirmed he will sign a new Employment Regulation Order for the sector.
Under the legally binding ERO, which replaces the previous order dating from October 2016, the new standard hourly pay rate will be €11.20 for workers over the age of 20, taking effect from 18 December.
However, workers under the age of 18 must be paid no less than 70% of that standard rate – those aged 18 are entitled to at least 80%, with those aged 19 getting 90% of the specified rate.
The Joint Labour Committee, made up of employer and employee representatives for the contract cleaning sector, have also agreed new procedures in relation to written confirmation of holiday leave balances and pay slips.
The latest ERO also provides for minimum on-site facilities for cleaning operatives, which must be provided in conjunction with client firms, as well as a change in overtime arrangements.
Minister Damien English praised the work of those employed in the contract cleaning sector, saying: "This work has become even more crucial since the arrival of Covid-19 and often those providing contract cleaning services have found themselves on the front line of our efforts to suppress the virus."
He described the Contract Cleaning Joint Labour Committee as a good example of how effective the reformed Joint Labour Committee system could be when representatives of employees and employers could agree a "commonality of purpose" in a sector.
"I believe that the Joint Labour Committees are a robust way of ensuring fair terms and conditions such as wage rates, sick pay etc.
"For employers, they offer flexibility to agree on work practices, pay and conditions which are custom made to their industry."
