Sectoral social dialogue - Industrial cleaning

Social partners

Workers' organisations	Employers' organisations
UNI Europa	European Cleaning and Facility Services Industry (EFCI)

Social dialogue in this sector covers activities defined by NACE (Rev. 2) class 81.2:

services provided by specialised contractors
building maintenance & associated cleaning
cleaning trains, buses & planes
waste management services
disinfecting & pest extermination activities.

EU-wide, the industrial cleaning sector employs about 3 m workers (Eurostat, 2014 Labour Force Survey data) in over 220 000 firms (Eurostat, Structural Business Statistics, 2013). The turnover is €85.9bn (Eurostat, Structural Business Statistics, 2012).

The major challenges facing the sector are

the continuing effects of the economic crisis in a number of EU countries & its indirect impact on working conditions
the implementation of the new EU public procurement directive, 2014/24/EU,
the formal involvement of social partners in the activities of the European Platform to enhance cooperation in the prevention & deterrence of undeclared work,
promoting daytime cleaning to raise the sector's profile
low union & employer representation in eastern Europe.

Key areas

The Committee is currently focusing on:

health & safety (online interactive risk assessment)
regulatory issues (quality & socially responsible public procurement; enforcement of the posting of workers directive)
impact of the crisis on the cleaning sector
working conditions (undeclared work; promoting daytime cleaning; employment)
standard setting & training