United Workers Union survey finds one third of cleaners injured keeping NSW schools clean

The survey, conducted in July and August, included respondents from across Newcastle, the Hunter and Central Coast with 37 per cent saying they had been injured at work in the last five years, amid contractors cutting back hours.

Ryan Donaldson, 36, who works as a TAFE cleaner in Newcastle said he had seen and heard stories of colleagues being injured due to lack of staff and time.

"I have seen some injuries and one of them in particular was caused directly by the direction that management gave," he said.

He said there had been times recently where his company had been understaffed and two people were tasked with the workload of three.

"It is a bit of a struggle because you don't get to slow down, you just have to go, go, go. It's very constant," he said.

"Just covering for that one person for a few days was exhausting.

"Even if I wanted a day off in a month's time, I could tell my boss today and my shift will still not be covered."

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Under the NSW Government's privatised cleaning contracts, the cleaners reported they needed to perform more than 600 tasks in eight hours - less than 45 seconds for each task.

A former school cleaner who worked in the Newcastle area, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were doing the work of two people or eight hours worth of work in a four-hour shift.

"In that time I was expected to clean 11 classrooms, three hospitality classrooms, 11 admin offices, one staff kitchen, two foyers, three floors, two halls/multipurpose areas, one canteen, one lunch room, empty 30 bins and leaf blow the outdoor areas," they said.

"We lost 500 dollars a fortnight out of our pay, and we lost two hours a day out of our work schedule. We're expected to still do the same amount of work with less hours and less pay."

In October 2022, they said they broke their ankle while picking up rubbish in a school ground.

"I was wandering around the yard trying to pick up rubbish before I emptied all the 30 external bins and walked over some grassy area at the base of a really large tree. I lent in to get a piece of rubbish off the ground. As I stepped backwards I stepped on a stick and rolled my ankle inwards," they said.

"I sat on the ground for a couple of seconds and started getting bitten by green ants so I had to force myself up."

They said their ankle was broken at the tip of the bone with torn tendons and they were put in a moon boot.

An incident report was put through work and they were placed on workers compensation, they said.

"My supervisor said it wasn't ideal because they didn't have anyone to replace me. They put the guilt trip on me.

"I ended up going back to work two weeks later in a moon boot."

The survey also found 52 per cent of NSW school cleaners had problems receiving the correct pay in the past five years.

The former school cleaner said they were owed money from working in a leadership role and had to secure help from the United Workers Union for their back-pay.

"It's terrible and I'm not the only one, my experience is one of thousands and I'm not going to put up with it. I've done shit job after shit job."

The United Workers Union is lobbying MPs and has welcomed the NSW government's commitment to review the existing privatisation of school cleaning.

"It's clear the privatisation of NSW school cleaning has completely failed school cleaners and school communities," UWU property services coordinator Linda Revill said.

"In NSW schools where members of the community should feel safe, cleaners are facing dangerously high workloads daily. It's high time the failed privatisation is ended and NSW school cleaners are employed directly by the NSW Government," she said.

The cleaner who wished to remain anonymous said they would happily return to work in schools if they were employed by the NSW Department of Education.

"I don't want to work for a third party company anymore. Everyone wants that, because 20, 30 years ago that's how it was. You belonged."

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