CANBERRA Centre cleaners and security guards are facing “drastic wage cuts”, according to the United Workers Union. 

The cleaners and security guards, who are members of the union, are calling for an immediate meeting with the chief executive of Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), the corporation the manages Canberra Centre, ahead of the significant cuts, which they say will take place tomorrow (September 21).

The union says cleaners and security guards, who have kept the Canberra Centre safe and clean, putting their health at risk during prolonged COVID-19 outbreaks are facing drastic cuts to their hours with the arrival of contractor Assetlink. 

United Workers Union property services director Lyndal Ryan said the union was calling on the QIC chief executive to step up to the plate. 

“The best thing to do given the current messy situation and in the middle of the current lockdown is to instruct the contractor to continue to allow the existing workers to commence employment with the incoming contractor on their current hours of work and classifications,” she said.

“If he is unwilling to do that, he should at least be willing to work with them to explain how it is that workers who currently work full-time will have their hours cuts and part-time workers who cannot work additional hours are being forced to do so.

“Canberra Centre management promised cleaners and security guards that their jobs were safe when the contract went out for tender. We knew, as did our members that there might be some changes but we had no idea that so many people would be offered jobs on hours that they simply cannot work.”

Canberra Centre security guard Deng Duoot Ayual said he relied on regular hours to keep his family fed. 

“I’ve worked at the Canberra Centre for six years. Under this new contractor I’ve been made a casual and it’s hard – I’m not sure what my hours will be after lockdown. My wife works just four hours a day and we have nine children who rely on my income,” Ayual said. 

Ronald Belo, a cleaner at Canberra Centre said the Assetlink changed his shifts without notice. 

“They turned my evening shift into a night shift, so instead of us cleaners working from 6pm to 2am, they want us working 10pm to 6am,” Belo said. 

“This is a big struggle for my family. I am meant to get the kids ready and take them to school before going to my other day job. How do I do that without sleep? 

“I’ve worked here for 10 years, and QIC management and HR have just been ignoring us.”