Window washers stretch safety rules...

Facing hard-to-clean sliding windows, cleaners on East 44th Street cut corners

In an article by Peter D'Amato which can be found here, a five-man crew from a company called Upgrade Services took turns leaning out and stretching to clean the farthest corners of the windows in a 1950s-era office building. This building was sixty feet above East 44th Street. 

Upgrade Services President John McDermott sent the five men back for retraining once the union had heard the risky maneuvers they attempted to perform their work. The workers were in clear violation of the state's labor law. Laws require that workers use safety harnesses or a scaffold when cleaning the outside of windows. The President of the company also went on to say, "After years on the job, veterans can get overly brave. "You get lulled into a false sense of security that it's OK to take these chances."

Greek Safety Rules Ignored In Cleaner’s Fatal Fall

Safety rules ignored in cleaner’s fatal fall: A window cleaner who fell to his death while working at a government building did not have social insurance and safety rules had not been followed, the Labor Inspectorate confirmed yesterday without giving details about what action would be taken against the contractor that employed the father of four. Asiz Emad, an Egyptian immigrant, died on December 19 died after losing his balance and falling from the third floor of the Labor Ministry’s general administration building. His death only came to light when Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) MP Michalis Kritsotakis tabled a question in Parliament on December 23 about the incident.

In its first official statement on the subject, the Labor Inspectorate, which is responsible for ensuring labor laws and safety regulations are adhered to, said yesterday that in Emad’s case, the rules had not been followed. “According to initial information, the deceased fell from the third floor to the ground due to the lack of safety measures… which indicates a breach in health and safety regulations,” the inspectorate said. It also confirmed that Emad’s social security contributions were not being paid by the contractor employing him. The Labor Inspectorate did not name the company involved but said that it had notified it to give its version of events. Legal action will be launched after that.

“The responsibility of the contractor is great and it needs to be punished swiftly and strictly,” said New Democracy MP Yiannis Vroutsis, who is the party’s labor and social insurance spokesman. “But the responsibilities of the Labor Ministry are also great.” The Attica Union of Cleaners (PEKOP) is demanding that the government explain why Emad was working on a Sunday when the contract with the ministry stipulated the cleaning would take place on weekdays. PEKOP also wants to know why no record was kept of the cleaners’ presence in the building and why Emad had no social insurance.

Cleaners protest ministry death: Members of a cleaners’ union are due to protest outside the Labor Ministry on Korai Street in central Athens at 6 p.m. today to demand answers from the government about the circumstances in which a father of four died while cleaning the building’s windows earlier this month. Asiz Emad, an Egyptian immigrant, died on December 19 died after losing his balance and falling from the third floor of the Labor Ministry. His death only came to light when Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) MP Michalis Kritsotakis tabled a question in Parliament on December 23 about the window cleaner’s death. The Labor Inspectorate, which operates under the auspices of the Labor Ministry, told Kathimerini yesterday that it did not make an announcement at the time because the employee who would have dealt with the matter was on vacation.

The Labor Inspectorate said that legal action had been launched against the contractor responsible for cleaning the building. If found guilty of breaking the law, the company would be excluded from bidding for state contracts for the next three years. However, the Attica Union of Cleaners (PEKOP) is demanding that the government explain why Emad was working on a Sunday when the contract with the ministry stipulated the cleaning would take place on weekdays between 4 and 9 p.m. Also, the ministry building is officially kept closed on the weekend, so the unionists are asking for information about who let the cleaners in. PEKOP also wants to know why no record was kept of the cleaners’ presence in the building and why Emad had no social insurance.

Constantina Kuneva, the Bulgarian cleaner disfigured in an acid attack in December 2008, was PEKOP’s general secretary at the time. Her plight had highlighted the operation of several cleaning companies who employ mostly immigrants without abiding by labor laws or paying their social security contributions.