Airport cleaners demand fair pay and dignity

Auckland Airport cleaners at the Table Talks event that was held at Manukau Rovers, campaigning for fair pay.

Every day before travellers arrive, Jingle Calicdan is already at work, keeping Auckland Airport clean and safe. Now she and her fellow cleaners are asking Māngere to stand behind them in their fight for fair pay and dignity.

Jingle is an E tū Campaign Leader for the Safe Airport Campaign and a cleaner herself.

"This campaign is very close to my heart," she says

"Right now, we feel undervalued, understaffed and underpaid for the important work we do," Jingle says.

Cleaners work hard every day to keep the airport clean, shaping the first impression for travellers. They are calling for the Living Wage, safer staffing levels, and to be treated with dignity.

"We shouldn't have to work two or three jobs just to survive. We believe one job should be enough to provide a decent life for our families, and still allow us quality time with the people we love."

Jingle knows that struggle firsthand. She moved to New Zealand from the Philippines with her family, hoping for a better life.

"We struggled to find stability, find jobs, and sometimes struggled to put food on the table," she says.

"My story is not just my story. There are other cleaners like me who came here hoping to build a better future. We are not asking for anything extraordinary, just the chance to live with dignity from the work that we do."

E tū has been supporting cleaners to organise and be heard through a series of Table Talks with workers from other sectors. On 10 September, cleaners, workers and community members gathered at Manukau Rovers for one such event.

"It gave us a space to come together, hear each other's stories and show that the struggle of airport cleaners is not something we have to face alone," Jingle says.

Next up is the official launch of the Safe Airport Campaign, bringing cleaners, airport workers, and community and faith groups behind the call for a Living Wage.

"The responsibility for creating a Living Wage airport belongs to all of us, not just the cleaners, the employers or the workers," Jingle says.

"The airport is in Māngere, and many of the workers who keep it running are part of Māngere and the surrounding community," Jingle says.

"We are asking the Māngere community to stand in solidarity with us. We want a community where people who work hard can earn enough to live, provide for their families and be treated with dignity."

Go to etu.nz/campaigns.safe-airports for more info.