Window Cleaning News

Conman preying on elderly of Troon and Prestwick: Elderly people are being targeted by a vile con man. There have been a spate of sickening incidents in the Troon and Prestwick area. Police are appealing for any information and are urging elderly members of the community to be vigilant. At 4.15pm on Monday, November 9, a man called at the home of an 81-year-old female in Prestwick looking for payment for window cleaning. However, the genuine window cleaner had been paid earlier that day. The man managed to gain access to the woman’s home and stole her purse before making his excuses and leaving.
At 5pm the same day, a male purporting to be a window cleaner looking for new business called at the home of a 94-year-old lady in Prestwick, near to the first lady. The male eventually gained access to the house but did not manage to steal any property. Then between 6pm and 6.30pm, the same man called at three houses in Troon, where he spoke with three elderly residents aged 80, 83 and 88. The man was either seeking business for cleaning windows or looking for payment for windows that had allegedly been cleaned. The 88-year-old woman allowed the man into her home as he used the excuse of needing the toilet. It appears that nothing was stolen.
This man has previously visited Troon on Tuesday, September 29, when he gained access to the home of a 70-year-old female in Logan Drive pretending to be a window cleaner looking for payment. He made an excuse to gain entry to her home, where he continued to involve the occupier in inspecting possible areas that needed repaired. After making his excuses he left, and the occupier noticed that her purse containing a three figure sum was missing. The man is described as white, between 5ft 8ins and 5ft 10ins tall, aged approx 25 to 30 years old, of slim to medium build with short, dark brown, unkempt hair. He appears that he is unshaven with several days growth and has a local accent. He was wearing a high visibility jacket, possibly with a T-shirt underneath. He has always been polite and courteous when calling at the door.
Inspector Bob Smith, of Troon police office, said: “Bogus workmen routinely target the very vulnerable members of our communities, particularly the elderly, the infirm and those living alone. “I would urge those who receive unannounced workmen at their door seeking payment for work allegedly done or looking for work, to refuse them access, no matter the excuses made, and call the police immediately. “I am certain that someone in our community will know who this individual is, and I would urge anyone with information to contact the police.”
The public can contact the police at Troon on 01292 313100 or Prestwick on 01292 478587, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.



Emprise Services has been awarded the contract to clean the entire Waitrose portfolio of 222 shops, as well as its warehouses and headquarters. Over 1,300 Emprise staff will work across the contract. A range of cleaning services will be provided including daily, early morning and periodical cleaning. Window-cleaning and janitorial services are also tied up in the package. Emprise staff will take responsibility for kitchen deep cleans and jet washing as well. In addition to cleaning responsibilities which form the core of the contract, Emprise will also take over responsibility for management of on-site paper, plastic and cardboard recycling at the retailer’s Bracknell distribution centre.
The contract was awarded by Maintenance Management, the company responsible for procuring services on behalf of Waitrose. Lesley Shearman divisional managing director at Emprise said: “We see this continued development of the contract as a credit to our staff and their work. Waitrose is our oldest contract, spanning more than 45 years. We are delighted to have successfully sustained and enhanced our long term partnership with Waitrose through MML and look forward to further developing it in the future.” Emprise won its first contract with Waitrose in 1961, when it was selected to clean its Dorking store. Since then Emprise has steadily developed its relationship with the retailer. It also holds a number of cleaning contracts at John Lewis department stores.

Matters of grave concern - part 8: I hope readers are enjoying this light hearted roam about the graveyards of the world as we search those old and ancient, more unusual and often amusing memorials. 'Here lies window cleaner Marcus Burke, Who alas stepped back to admire his work.'

The Tempification of the American Workforce: The tempification of the American workforce continues apace. While job losses make headlines, we don't hear as much about an equally insidious trend: real jobs with benefits are being replaced by "contracting opportunities" and temporary placements. In October, the U.S. economy created 34,000 new temp jobs, while posting a net loss of 190,000 jobs. Some media reports have hailed local upticks in temporary employment as portents of an improving job market. The idea is that employers are using temporary workers until they feel secure enough in the recovery to hire full-time workes back.
That's one hypothesis. The other possibility is that employers are ditching permanent employees and replacing them with long-term temps. The great Perm to Temp shift didn't start yesterday. From 1969 to 1993, the number of part-time workers in the American workforce nearly doubled. This surge in part-time employment accounted for a quarter of all growth in the labor market. From 1982 to 1990, the payrolls of temp agencies grew ten times faster than the workforce as a whole. By 2005, contingent workers accounted for nearly a third of the U.S. workforce.
Bosses like temps because they are "flexible," i.e., because they can be hired and fired at will. Temp workers tend to earn less and enjoy fewer benefits than their permanent counterparts. The tempification of the economy helps keep permanent workers' expectations low. Mixing temps with full-time staffers on the same jobsite is a time honored way to keep a workforce internally divided. From a union perspective, temporary workers are even harder to organize than the rest of the private sector because they are dispersed and highly mobile. They could use advocates: Temporary workers are more likely to be hurt on the job, according to a paper published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They are also less likely to have health insurance. Only 13% of temporary workers have health insurance, compared to 77% of workers with permanent jobs.
In her recent book, Wage Theft In America, Kim Bobo argues that a culture of temporary employment errodes employers' sense of responsiblity for the well-being of their workers. Daphne Dolan summed up that mindset in an interview with the Chicago Tribune last week, "[Employers] want a receptionist who's also an administrator and answering the phone and making the coffee. They want hybrid people." Pictured - June Beckman, a part-time worker with the cleaning contractor Scrub, cleans a window at O'Hare International Airport's Terminal 3 in Chicago, Ill.

Burnley family: We want justice for Sean -The family of a man who was found dead in undergrowth after going missing from his home have vowed to continue their fight for ‘justice’ for the 36-year-old. Following the discovery of window cleaner Sean Coupe in bushes near Lowerhouse Lodge, Burnley, in May 2006, his mother Kathleen has been critical of police investigations into his demise. An open verdict was yesterday recorded by East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor, after a two-day inquest into Mr Coupe’s death , after he heard that a number of unanswered questions remained about his last movements.
Mr Coupe, a father-of-two, had left his home in Bear Street, Burnley, around 1am, after a disagreement with his on-off partner Katie Wakeford. He had taken a quilt, pillow and a number of insulin pens, which he used to control the diabetes he had suffered from since he was 15. He was found the following lunchtime after a search by his family and friends, Burnley Coroner’s Court was told.
The deceased’s mother, Kathleen, of Bath Street, Nelson, said she was unhappy about a number of aspects of the police investigation following his death. One of her chief complaints was about the log of her son’s property, particularly the number of insulin pens he was carrying and how many were found to be used at the time of his death. Dr Walid Salman, who conducted a post-mortem examination on Mr Coupe, gave the cause of death as ‘unascertainable’. But a further review by Dr John Grant showed the most probable cause was broncho-pneumonia. Mrs Coupe said: “There was never a proper police investigation in the first place and there has not been since. “He was a really good son and we just want justice for him. I am not saying he was perfect but he was a nice person. We just want answers because we don’t think the truth has come out so far.”
The family has complained to the Independent Police Complaints Commission over the police investigation. Retired police detective inspector Sam Birtwell, who led the initial inquiry, said that whatever obligations may have existed, regarding the deceased’s disappearance, no criminal offence had been committed. Mr Birtwell said that there was no evidence of foul play, regarding the death, whatever concerns the family may have. In his report into the death he concluded: “It is my contention that Sean took an insulin overdose as part of an attention-seeking exercise. “He reckoned that he would be found in time.”

UAE-based Transguard Group part of the Emirates Group Company, has today announced that is has signed a contract with The Radisson Blu Hotel and Park Inn on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, to supply housekeeping solutions at the newly opened hotels. Under the terms of the contract, Transguard will supply a team of 24 staff, to provide cleaning to the public areas throughout the hotel as well as window cleaning services. “Our discerning guests expect the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene - it is an integral part of our brand offering. Transguard understands our brand values and we are confident that they can deliver their promise,” said Mr. Torbjorn Bodin, GM, Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island.
“Although we have set an aggressive opening occupancy budget, we are aware that this will be achieved in peaks and troughs. Transguard can provide the right manning and flexibility needed at all times giving us an immediate and cost-effective option, in line with our operational requirements,” said Mr. Torbjorn Bodin, GM, Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island.

Growing the Arts - Lexington, KY - What began about 10 years ago as a way for Lexington's Living Arts & Science Center to help pay for its fundraisers has evolved into a successful corporate sponsorship program that touches the most important part of the center's mission: its educational programs. Sponsorships, which include cash contributions as well as in-kind donations of goods and services, account for about 20 percent of the Living Arts & Science Center's annual budget, or about $90,000, said Heather Lyons, the center's executive director.
"Our sponsors enable us to do the work we do. We cannot survive on grants." Michael T. Stuart, owner of Fayette Window Cleaning and a corporate contributor to the Living Arts & Science Center, said he values the center's commitment to a broad cross-section of Lexington's youth while keeping expenses under control. "As a business owner, one of the most important things to me is investing and spending my company's money wisely," Stuart said. "The Living Arts & Science Center works very hard to keep costs down and to solicit donated items for programming and classroom needs. I know that when Fayette Window Cleaning invests in the Living Arts & Science Center, we will have a positive impact on the education of Lexington's children through the arts and sciences."

While his current teammates competed in the 2008 season, Florence went to the Summer Olympics in Beijing with an evangelical group and made some extra money by working as a window washer around Waco. It gave him the opportunity for another year of maturity before his chance to play arrived this season.
Florence set the Baylor single-game passing record last week, blistering Missouri for 427 yards and three touchdowns passes. Coming into the game, Florence had thrown only two touchdown passes in his previous 147 attempts in his career.