Transformed Quayclean responds to Fair Work Ombudsman decision

Quayclean Australia said today it accepts the ruling from the Fair Work Ombudsman in relation to an investigation at Etihad Stadium, almost six years ago, in September 2017 where it was found to be accessorily liable for underpayment contraventions against two sub-contracted companies it engaged at the time.

Quayclean said it regretted sub-contracted labour was found to be underpaid and Chief Executive, Mark Piwkowski, again reinforced his apology to workers affected.

Quayclean has since completed a transformation of its business operations.

Piwkowski noted “the investigation made us realise that if our business is to be relevant and sustainable, our only path was to build our own fully employed team across the country.

“Within days of the investigation in September 2017, Quayclean moved to expand its already employed workforce to 100% employed with our first challenge being the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games where 1,200 staff were employed directly to deliver the games. We no longer engage sub-contractors because of the risk of underpayment that cannot be controlled.

“Today, Quayclean employs over 5,100 full-time, permanent part-time and casual employees who are all employed under the Modern Award Cleaning.

“We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice and an industry leader in workplace compliance.”

Quayclean established the Quay Academy in 2019, dedicated to developing young leaders within the organisation, and has committed to advancing external partnerships which has led to the employment of a diverse workforce including Indigenous Australians, individuals with a disability, and mature age workers as part of our holistic diversity strategy.

Piwkowski added “our transformational actions since 2017 to build a productive workforce has paid off with strong staff engagement, excellent customer satisfaction, extensive training programs and a company culture driven by vision and purpose.”

Image. Credit: Quayclean