3 clusters of cleaners first to go under new wage model

3 clusters of cleaners first to go under new wage model
PHOTO: 3 clusters of cleaners first to go under new wage model

CLEANERS who keep offices, F&B outlets and housing estates spick and span may soon see a progressive increase in wages.

Labour movement NTUC, along with the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC), yesterday announced that 10,000 cleaners in these three sub-sectors will be the first to come under the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) proposed for the cleaning industry.

Eventually, the wage model for the cleaning sector will apply to some 46,000 local cleaners.

PWMs have already been unveiled in the transport and logistics, hospitality and healthcare sectors.

The TCC, which comprises NTUC representatives, employers and government agencies, recommends $1,000 as the entry-level basic wage for cleaning jobs in offices and commercial buildings and in the F&B establishment sector; cleaners in the conservancy sector start at $1,200.

Records from NTUC's Building & Facility Management Services Cluster indicate that cleaners in these positions earn between $675 and $950.

In addition to the entry-level wage, the PWM also draws up three wage ladders to give cleaners a pathway up a salary scale - provided they raise their skill level, become more productive or take on higher responsibilities.

The wage ladders show how they can earn more over time, which will motivate them to improve their skills and raise their value-add, said Zainal Sapari, leader of NTUC's Building & Facility Management Services Cluster.

Commenting on the recommended changes, NTUC deputy secretary-general Heng Chee How said: "With workers that are better paid, the service providers can look forward to better staff morale, leading to lower staff turnover and happier workers, who will in turn be more productive. Service providers will then be able to grow their business and increase their business competitiveness."

The NTUC's Building & Facility Management Services Cluster is seeking the support of the government for the PWM by getting the public sector to take the lead in best sourcing and to encourage its cleaning-service providers to adopt PWMs.

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