Passersby could put their signature on a big heart to express their support for the cleaners. With the slogan ‘Kiss me or miss me’, the cleaners wanted to express their concerns about announced cost-saving measures.

In a letter, Asito told the cleaners that they would lose hours on campus and that they could supplement their ‘redundant’ hours at another location. If they didn’t want that, then they could lose their redundant contract hours after all. This by means of a decision of the court, in connection with business economic reasons, the letter stated.

Two employers

Asito offers the cleaners extra hours at other locations instead. But that would mean that their day is cut in two parts, that they sometimes have to cycle to the other side of the city and that they might have to work for two different employers, depending on the results of new tenders. The workload for the remaining cleaners at EUR would also increase.

Director of the University Support Centre (USC) Kees Lansbergen received the big heart full of signatures. He could make little promises to the cleaners. “Ultimately, it is a matter between you and Asito, and we indicate which price, quality and behavior we value, but Asito itself is responsible for the business”, he said to the cleaners. However, Lansbergen said there were already talk with Asito about the quality of the cleaning. That quality would leave something to be desired.

'No new agreements'

Again, Lansbergen denied there were new agreements between Asito and the EUR that would result in less money and hours for the cleaning work. In the letter to the employees, the cleaning company wrote that ‘the redundant hours have arisen from negotiations of the contract between Asito and the Erasmus University Rotterdam. New agreements were made in this, so that there is less budget and fewer hours available.’ According to Lansbergen, that is incorrect.

A spokesman from Asito is still looking for what the company meant by ‘new agreements’.

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