UNI Europa's “Daytime Cleaning” campaign against the harmful effects of night shifts on cleaners

“A ground-breaking international survey of cleaners commissioned by UNI Global Union sheds light on the significant challenges faced by cleaners who work irregular and anti-social shifts. The survey, which was responded to by over 2,500 cleaners in 32 countries on 6 continents, highlights the detrimental impact of night work on employees' health, well-being and social inclusion.  The survey results show that cleaners who work shifts other than day shift experience a range of negative impacts on their lives. These include isolation, difficulty maintaining relationships, a strained social life, poor sleep patterns, fatigue and negative effects on physical and mental health…” EnglishReport from UNI dated June 7th, 2023 (“Global survey on night shifts reveals detrimental effects on cleaners”) and more about the “Daytime Cleaning” campaign:

• Charter for attractive and sustainable work in the building cleaning industry signed
  “Improving working conditions in building cleaning and thus reducing the labor shortage: this is the project of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, IG BAU and the Federal Guild Association of the building cleaning trade. We developed a charter together. It records our goals and offers orientation to clients of cleaning services. (…) How can we succeed in improving the working conditions of those who clean offices, train stations and schools in Germany and attract enough people to do this work? These were key questions in the dialogue process between the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the social partners in the building cleaning trade. The answers were summarized in a joint charter for attractive and sustainable work design in the building cleaning industry and will be concretized by the social partners in a joint agreement by the end of the year. The charter is aimed at public and private clients. She calls for quality criteria to be given greater consideration in addition to price in the awarding process. These include, for example: B. family-friendly working hours through more daily cleaning and respectful treatment of the cleaning staff on site…”Joint press release from September 17, 2026 at IG BAU toCharter  and now about it:
  • UNI member organization IG Bau signs a groundbreaking charter to improve the living conditions of 700,000 cleaning workers in Germany
    “…The charter obliges public and private clients to consider not only price but also quality when awarding cleaning contracts under public procurement and to expand family-friendly cleaning during daytime hours.
    The“Charter for attractive and future-proof work in the building cleaning industry” was signed by IG BAU, the Federal Maintenance Association (BIV) and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. It obliges public and private clients to consider not only the price but also the quality when awarding cleaning contracts in public procurement and to expand family-friendly day cleaning. In recent years, “UNI Europa” has successfully campaigned for oneReform of EU procurement regulations and the distributionthe daily cleaning used in the industry. (…) Too many cleaners in Germany and across Europe work at night or in split shifts in the early morning and late afternoon. These unfavorable working hours have a negative impact on their health, their family life and their democratic participation - and lead to higher fluctuation among employers. That's why IG Bau and other UNI member organizations are calling for daytime cleaning during regular office hours to become standard practice in the industry.
    The charter is linked to thejoint statement of 2022 between “ UNI Europa ” and the EFCI, the European social partners in the cleaning sector, on the topic “Cleaning during the daytime”. This resulted in two joint conferences, lobbying with politicians and public institutions as clients of private cleaning companies, and an increased focus on daytime cleaning by the national unions.
    Four years later, the signing of the charter sends a clear signal to cleaners and unions across Europe. Bicici said: "We need more solidarity among European unions and more joint pressure to secure decent work. What is possible in one country must also serve as inspiration in other countries. Good solutions cannot be limited to national borders - they must spread across them."..."Report from 09/22/26 from UNI Europa 

Basic information:

• Thestudy “Working Against the Clock: A global survey on how cleaners’ work schedules impact their health, safety and well-being”
• See UNI Europa’s “Daytime Cleaning” campaignthe video on YouTube  : How daytime work can be life-changing for cleaners

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