Good intentions meet harsh realities: Social dialogue and precarious work in industrial cleaning

Abstract

This article offers a comparative study of recent joint initiatives by Danish and German social partners within the industrial cleaning sector. It examines how, and to what extent, the day-to-day realities of industrial cleaners vary due to distinct regulatory regimes and explores why social dialogue initiatives have not had a greater impact in terms of improving wages, working conditions and social benefits. The authors find that, whilst sector institutions help counteract precariousness for some cleaning workers, the increasingly intense competition within industrial cleaning contributes to increased segmentation as employers seek various loopholes within existing labour market regulation to cut costs. Therefore, the labour force within the cleaning sector is increasingly segmented, with some cleaners ending up in highly precarious situations, whilst others are helped by various joint initiatives by social partners to improve atypical workers’ conditions.