What is Fair Trade in the cleaning business?
a decent wage
Beware the quote that is too good to be true. Cleaning companies who pay under the table and/or pay piece work are notorious for underestimating the time needed to clean. The staff either has to cut corners or work for less money than expected by putting in more hours than was estimated.
Our starting wage is well above minimum wage and we pay by time (including travel time between work sites including our office). We have chosen not to do piece work or hire contract workers because it fails to protect vulnerable workers in the workforce.
EI, CPP & WSIB coverage
Many cleaning companies use contract workers to avoid paying their share of payroll taxes, WSIB and to avoid basic employment standards like holiday pay and vacation pay. If Staff do not have WSIB coverage, they are not covered for injury that occurs on the worksite.
What happens when the cleaner reaches age 65 and no one has paid into CPP?
What happens when the cleaner is injured in your home?
Our staff are full employees whether they are full time or part time. We pay payroll taxes, WSIB, vacation pay, holiday pay and respect Ontario employment standards.
paid travel time between work-sites
Many cleaners are not paid travel time between work-sites or to the office . They do not receive compensation for time spent in the office or spent meeting other workers. At Earth Concerns Cleaning, we pay for travel time between work sites and office visit time. We also pay a travel allowance which goes towards staff’s transit costs like TTC or bike.
employee benefits
Additional benefits are basically unheard of for residential cleaners. At Earth Concerns Cleaning, our full time employees are eligible for benefits like dental, extended health, travel and life insurance.
sick day plan with paid sick days
We have a sick day policy!
the right to refuse unsafe work
more than the minimum
Earth Concerns Cleaning challenges house cleaning services to be fair trade, raise their standards, and go beyond the minimum.