Much needed payment returned to cleaners - L&T, SOL, ISS and RTK-Palvelu show the way

“All sorts of stuff is brought into staircases stuck to shoes, and puppies have accidents.”

This is how Kirsi Marttila, a cleaner in Turku unit, describes typical “surprises”. The staircases in her area are now clean, but ten years of cleaning staircases have left her with thousands of tales to tell.

“There used to be a serial pooper in the lift of one building. Another building was full of vomit”, she describes calmly.

”It’s fantastic that we got the body waste bonus back”, Marttila says.

Separate agreements needed under collective agreement

For eight years the body waste bonus was not in the collective agreement for the sector, but it was brought back earlier in the year in the union round, although it is now a locally agreed element. Erja Killström, Southwest Finland regional head shop steward at Lassila &Tikanoja, says that the employer, L&T, agreed to negotiations straight away when all the shop stewards suggested it together.

“But we are tied by the text of the collective agreement: the body waste bonus is agreed locally at workplaces, not as an overall agreement”, Killström explains.

“Various amounts were put forward by both sides”, Killström describes the negotiations. The end result was a payment of 17 euros per body waste cleaned. It covers all body waste from humans or animals, whether blood, urine, vomit or anything else. The size of the waste doesn’t matter, but photo evidence of the place has to be provided.

“The payment equals about 1 ½ hours’ wages in pay scale 2 for cleaners”, Killström says.

Payment for employees

The content of the agreements made and the payments vary by company. At SOL and ISS the payment is 15 euros. The shop stewards at these companies also say there was consensus behind the agreements.

“By now companies have been saving for many years, being able to invoice customers for extra mess without having to pay their employees”, SOL head shop steward Janne Forsman points out.

Now that the big companies in the sector have shown the way, company agreements should be made across the sector to benefit all employees.
Staircase cleaner Marttila stands at the foot of a spiral staircase.

“We do the work, so it’s only right we get paid for it”, Marttila says.

Now that cleaners get the payment, they don’t work in a flap, which is a health and safety issue, because there is a risk of contagion.

“Cleaning up surprises interrupts your work because you have to fetch the right equipment. You can’t wipe it up with the rest.”