The company that was accused of underpaying its cleaners by more than $150,000 has agreed to pay back every undercut cleaner in a meeting yesterday morning. Guardian Property Services denied any wrongdoing saying it was “blatantly untrue” that one cleaner alone was owed $70,000. But the company agreed to pay that same cleaner, Ashish Pariyar, $50,000 and reimburse another cleaner $40,000. The company also agreed to pay back a number of other cleaners that were owed lesser amounts. Health Services Union secretary Gerard Hayes, who acted on behalf of the cleaners, said it was fantastic result for the aged care sector. “This is a care industry and there is a moral obligation to ensure exploitation of workers who supply the services is never allowed to progress,” he said. “It’s a big win for our society. The Nepalese cleaner was being paid $14 an hour for three years, meaning he did not receive any superannuation, pay slips or annual leave entitlements. Other cleaning companies have said how hard it was to operate in the aged care sector when it was facing a billion-dollar cut from the Federal Government and providers were looking for the cheapest alternatives.
