Cleaners Strikes

[Omi]

In Holland, for a year or so now, cleaners in diffrent parts of the country are striking and taking actions for better payment and working conditions. These actions are getting more militant and creative every month, and yesterday took the struggle to unexpected heights.

Around 300 cleaners from all over the country, joined by small groups of anarchists and communists in solidarity, held a sit in action in the centre of the central station of Utrecht. This is the heart of all public transport in Holland, and the big station-hall is probably the busiest hall in all of Holland, with people travelling from every part of the country coming across this centre.

The plan was to stay there until every demand is met by the cleaning companies involved. And they still are. To this moment, cleaners are camping in the centre of Holland's biggest train station! The cleaning companies planned to send a delegation to the action today, the results of which are to this moment not known.

Strikes are spreading around the country, including the cleaners of the HQ-building of the FNV, the biggest Dutch union, also the organisers of the sit-in in the central station. They already got their demands of a 3% pay-raise met.

Some pictures:
http://media.nu.nl/m/m1czml0a6wjt.jpg

http://media.nu.nl/m/m1dztcjacsjw.jpg

http://media.nu.nl/m/m1czmleashm4.jpg

http://indymedia.nl/img/2010/03/66053.jpg

:thumbup1:

Solidarity to all cleaners currently struggling for better working and living conditions! And all those who are in a position where they are unable to strike, but are in solidarity!

[Sam Da Communist]

Our cleaners union in australia, LHMU, is pretty militant. They have done much for cleaners as well.

The problem in australia is that most cleaners are illegal immigrants, or people who over work their Visa job limits. i have noticed Union formation for these people is almost impossible in australia. Another problem is privatisation and contract/sub-contract work, and outsourcing of the cleaners by government. Also the cash in hand jobs.

I have heard of cleaners in australia getting paid $6 an hour, the minimum wage is $10.

[Omi]

Same as in Holland I guess.

News from the action: The representatives and the Union have failed to make a deal. The union demanded a payraise of 3% over a year, the cleaning companies offered 2% over 2 years.

Thus the actions will continue!

[Bitter Ashes]

GO FOR VICTORY MY CLEANER COMRADES!!! :D

I feel proud to be a cleaner right now. ^^

[Omi]

Update: The actions still continue. The sit down is still present in the central station, there was a media action; the families of all the cleaners came to support the sit down, in order to show how difficult it is to have a family when your pay is so low. And to show people: There are children and elderly people involved in this, too!


:thumbup1:

[Q]

Update: The actions still continue. The sit down is still present in the central station, there was a media action; the families of all the cleaners came to support the sit down, in order to show how difficult it is to have a family when your pay is so low. And to show people: There are children and elderly people involved in this, too!


:thumbup1:
The NOS reports that they work (http://nos.nl/artikel/145518-schoonmakers-utrecht-cs-werken-weer.html)? Strangely, or not really so, this is the first thing they report on the strike... For you foreigners: The NOS is frequently displayed as "leftwing" by rightwing idiots. Nothing could be more wrong really. The BBC counts as leftwing in comparison as they actually report strikes and demo's.

If you're interested, I held an interview (http://offensief.socialisten.net/content/view/960/18/) with one of the cleaner union activists (pretty much the main figure actually), auto-translated from Dutch here (http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Foffensief.socialisten.net%2Fcontent %2Fview%2F960%2F18%2F&sl=nl&tl=en) (poor quality though, stupid Google).

[Sasha]

the strikes are still continuing, intresting coalitions between the (mostly immigrant) cleaners, mainstream union and radical activists are formed.

while the trainstations are getting dirty'r and filthy'r an unrelated week long strike by the amsterdam garbageman and streetcleaners is looming.
best thing of this new strike is that they want to start the 30th of april, wich is the national holliday queensday and the whole center of amsterdam is than anckle deep in trash. last year more than 300.000 kilo of trash was left on the streets in amsterdam. this is realy going to raise an stink.