University teaching staff have begun cleaning their own classrooms

 

According to a report from The Evening Times, cleaning staff have been unable to sufficiently clean campus buildings due to increased workload and pressure

Due to increased pressure on cleaning staff, Glasgow University teaching personnel have begun to clean their rooms themselves. According to a report from The Evening Times, the University has been criticised for putting “efficiency” before “hygiene.”

The trade union Unite attributes this to stress levels in the cleaning workforce due to an increased workload. Representatives from Unite have called upon the University to provide better working conditions for their employees to allow them to clean the campus buildings to an acceptable standard. A survey from the end of last year showed that more than 70 per cent of the University cleaning staff felt that staff cover was their main concern and that their current workload was unreasonable.

Derek Thomson, Unite organiser, stated: “The University is not being cleaned properly. They need staff in to make sure it is fit for purpose.”

The rector of the University, Aamer Anwar added: “The union are right to highlight the concerns which means hygiene takes a hit in the name of cost efficiency and ‘restructuring’, in a number of areas around campus. The reduction in cleanliness has become more noticeable, with added concerns for health and safety.

“Many students and lecturers will be angry to learn that the lowest paid staff at our University are treated as cannon fodder, expected to fill gaps whilst lack of job security means they are unable to speak out.”

A spokesperson from the University said the University had not received any formal complaints from staff regarding workloads or cleanliness. Adding, “We work with all users across the campus to ensure that appropriate levels of cleanliness are achieved and regularly test our levels of resource to ensure that we can deliver the standards that our staff and researchers need.”