Today we’re carrying a piece on a dispute in which Amazon warehouse cleaners, whom I understand have been outsourced to Mitie, are about to take industrial action over pay and conditions. They’re being supported by their Union, United Voices of the World, and while I’m not party to the intricacies of the case and can only go by what UVW is saying, I can’t get my head around what’s going on. A hugely profitable company which in my view is putting shop staff out of work by making it too convenient for people to buy online, (and thus cleaners out of work since boarded-up shops and stores don’t need cleaning!) chooses not to ensure that those who clean its warehouses are paid a decent wage for doing so. Yes the contract may have been outsourced to Mitie and yes the contractor is highly successful too… according to the UVW statement, last year Mitie “boasted a revenue of over £4 billion,” but it has a lot of contracts and cleaners’ livelihoods to juggle and just doesn’t have anything like the spending power that Amazon does. What do we as an industry have to do to persuade those at the receiving end of our endeavours that we’re providing a CRUCIAL service? How do we get people to recognise that cleaning – and running a cleaning contract – isn’t something that ‘just anyone can do’ but something that requires specialist knowledge and skills? As I said before, I don’t know the background to this case but I know from my many conversations with contractors, that when the going gets tough for their clients, the cleaning budget belt is the first one to be tightened.

I do hope Amazon and businesses like it, start looking beyond their desire to keep increasing their profits and realise that cleaners are helping their businesses run smoothly and safely. Not forgetting of course that these cleaners may well be customers too and they can’t spend what they don’t have! Why not insist that the cleaners are paid a little over the odds if the money’s available? Just imagine the kudos that would bring!

Are you all geared up for next week’s Manchester Cleaning Show? It’s going to be the biggest ever and like everyone else involved, John Austen and I have been looking forward to spending time catching up with business colleagues and friends, seeing what’s on offer and learning about the latest trends. Sadly, because of a couple of health catastrophes, (first John, then three weeks later, me) neither of us is going to be able to attend. If you’re either visiting or exhibiting, we wish you a successful and enjoyable couple of days. Please don’t forget to share your news and feedback with us!