Sydney Trains’ Cleaners Speak Up

Bulletin 25/18

To all: Sydney Trains’ Station, Turnaround, Maintenance Centre and Yard Cleaners,

Sydney Trains cleaners from around the network have been filling out petitions. After collating the results, it is clear that there are serious issues with the way that Independent Verifiers (IV) judge whether a train or station meet the customer experience standard required by Transport for NSW.

Some of the issues include:

1. The passing score mark has moved from 5.8 which was previously acceptable to the new score of above 6 without any explanation of why.
2.  Cleaners have no understanding what makes up the scoring criteria and there are a number of inconsistencies which include items on the score sheet to which cleaners have no control over, for example graffiti. A train can be cleaned to perfection, however if there is graffiti visible the IV will mark a score down to under 6.
3.  The pressure put on the cleaners to meet this score is increasing. There are numerous occasions where cleaners are being pushed to the limit by their managers to meet the score, only to have the train fail due to graffiti. On a number of occasions the cleaner has been threatened with a PCIP due to the station or train failing.
4.  There has been no consultation in relation to the process of marking and no consistency in what makes up the criteria for a score.

Your RTBU team has requested an urgent meeting with management to discuss the survey results and will update membership on the outcome of the meeting within the next few weeks.