Rally to Protest Impact Cleaning’s Schemes

Community leaders call on Avison Young and other building managers to allow audits of all Impact-cleaned sites

More than 50 Impact janitors and their supporters held a rally today in downtown Toronto to protest Impact’s employment practices. They marched down Bay Street, the city’s financial core, with banners, placards, and chants. Their message was loud and clear: It’s time for Justice for Janitors.

Workers were joined by community leaders in calling on property owners and managers to allow for an independent audit of Impact’s employment practices at buildings where the cleaning is contracted out to them. Impact workers face some of the worst working conditions in Toronto. The company they work for operates an elaborate sub-contracting scheme which results in many workers being denied basic Employment Standards Act protections.

“Companies like Avison Young must be responsible and hold contractors like Impact accountable,” says Carmen Martinez, “they cannot continue to turn a blind eye while Impact exploits workers.”

David Poopalapillai of the Canadian Tamil Congress, John Cartwright of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, and Peter Tabuns, MPP Toronto-Danforth of the NDP, were all there to support the janitors and spoke at the rally. The janitors were also joined by members of Unite HERE Local 75, hotel workers who often face similar obstacles.

“We the hotel workers are here in solidarity with the janitors – Toronto stands on the shoulders of immigrant workers like us – it’s time that our politicians join us and take a firm stand against companies that break the law,” says Carlos Almeida, a member of Hotel Workers Rising – Unite HERE Local 75.

View here the tv clip from Omni News Report