Did you know that...
Many Cleaning companies in Toronto offer the cleaners less than minimum wage and bad working conditions. The cleaners who are found in these conditions are often subcontracted by other companies who offer their services for a high price and the result may well be that the time required to complete the job puts those doing it (often the subcontractor and his or her family) below the minimum wage. These subcontracted cleaners who cannot even be protected by the Employment Standards Act, in other words, they don’t have breaks, paid travel between jobs, CPP, EI, holidays, sick leave, maternity leave, severance etc. According to Statistics in North America, cleaners are among the lowest-paid workers in the city. Many are undocumented, making them easy targets for exploitative bosses.
Arrangements in the private sector are sometimes leading the cleaner to a vulnerability because the contractor will offer a payment that can be lower than a wage minimum and if the cleaner doesn't accept the contractor will find another that accepts. In another scenario the cleaner can accept the contract and later be in a situation of exploitative work, he can make a strike, but in the end he's just going to have his contract canceled.
We invite you to take this into consideration when hiring a Cleaning Company service and if you are aware they are using this predatory practice, don’t be part of the problem, it is our responsibility as a society.
