Brayborne Welcomes Recommendations Of EHRC Report

Brayborne Facilities Services has joined the EHRC’s call for improved working conditions and employment rights for cleaning operatives. The report is the first stage in a project to examine employment practices in the cleaning sector in England, Scotland and Wales, and it has made a number of recommendations which the Commission will take forward to a task force of key stakeholders in the sector.

Lorraine Gibson, Managing Director of Brayborne Facilities Services, said: “The report has highlighted some key issues in the cleaning sector which have never been an issue within our company, but which we know are serious issues elsewhere. We would welcome the opportunity to be more fully involved in this project as raising standards, changing perceptions and respect for cleaning operatives and providing good quality contracts of employment for our staff, are all issues about which we have felt passionately for many years.”

Brayborne Facilities Services provides daily and specialist cleaning services to offices, shopping centres and schools across the south of England. With over 1,000 employed staff, the company offers a broad range of facilities services through trusted partner companies, as well as its existing core cleaning services. Lorraine continued: “We believe that we have some of the best terms of employment in the sector; all of our staff are employees of Brayborne, not contractors, and we carry out training at all levels of the organisation.

“Our concerns with procurement practices are that organisations make decisions about contracts based purely on price rather than establishing a long-term quality partnership, and we believe that giving more attention to the quality and reliability of the cleaning company will benefit employees as well as the client.” The report has highlighted the need for improved working conditions for cleaning operatives, the need to raise awareness of employment rights and to establish more responsible procurement practices as being the key factors which have emerged. It has also drawn attention to the lack of dignity and respect given to cleaners by some client organisations and some poor health and safety practices of clients and cleaning firms.