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BCC and CSSA pledge support for Living Wage campaign
After an investigation by London’s Evening Standard newspaper revealed that University College London has refused to pay its cleaners the London living wage of £7.85 an hour, both the British Cleaning Council and the Cleaning Support Services Association have urged UCL to open a dialogue with its cleaning contractors. The report alleges that the institution is now the only major university in the capital that does not pay its cleaners a living wage, with similar universities, LSE and Birkbeck, both supporting the policy.
The CSSA and BCC are both on record as pledging their support for the living wage to ensure that workers are adequately remunerated. BCC chairman, Mark Woodhead, said: "We urge UCL to open discussions with the cleaning contractors to see how the London Living Wage can be introduced. There was resistance from some areas of business and politicians when the original minimum wage was launched in 1999, but this policy is now widely accepted as beneficial for everyone."
The living wage campaign was founded in 2001, when over 1000 leaders from London Citizens called on employers to recognise their responsibility to end poverty pay. Since then, both Mayors of London have pledged their support for a living wage to be implemented across London. Newly elected leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, is also a major supporter and emphasised his commitment to the policy during the party’s annual conference: "The living wage is about the dignity of work. It is about showing people should be properly rewarded."
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
Start-up Star award for Norfolk company
Two Norfolk businessmen who started Stulee General and Industrial Cleaners in June 2006, have outperformed hundreds of entrepreneurs to be named the East’s top young business in this year’s HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards.
Stulee is one of 10 regional winners across the UK who will now come to London to convince the national judging panel they have what it takes to win the top prize of £30,000, courtesy of HSBC.
When Lee James and Stuart Ford couldn’t find anyone to clean their windows they decided the best solution was to start their own cleaning business. Within hours of distributing their first flyers they were taking calls from potential customers but the partners had taken on two full time employees, while still holding down full time jobs, before they were convinced that Stulee was a business with a real future.
Some 18 months later, the company cleans the windows of more than 500 houses, as well as keeping conservatories shining and gutters clear.
On top of that they hold in excess of 40 contracts for office and shop cleaning, not only in East Anglia, but throughout the whole of the UK.
This year they have also opened a retail outlet selling cleaning supplies and materials to both the domestic and trade market as well as supplying and fitting janitorial dispensers.
Over the last two and a half years the two entrepreneurs have grown the business from an idea to a successful company employing over 70 people.
Head of business banking for HSBC, Huw Morgan, said: "HSBC is committed to supporting businesses and the entrepreneurs who run them and have continued to help an average of 2600 start-ups every week in 2010 - that's 8% more than last year. We understand what it takes to set up a new venture and look forward to celebrating businesses who are vital to the growth of the British economy. We hope the success of Stulee in this year’s Awards will help it go from strength to strength, as well as prove to other budding entrepreneurs that business dreams really can be turned into reality."
www.hsbc.co.uk/startupstars
High levels of bacteria found on lift buttons
The number of bacteria present on a lift button is more than three times higher than on a public toilet seat according to Microban, the antibacterial protection specialist.
Research carried out for Microban in hotels, restaurants, banks, offices and airports, showed that the level of bacteria on lift buttons averaged 2200 colony forming units per square centimetre, compared to eight on the average public toilet seat. Among the common bacteria likely to be found are E-coli, Staph-aureus and MRSA.
Dr Nicholas Moon Ph.D, director of technical and regulatory affairs at Microban Europe, which is based in Cannock, Staffordshire, said that there was every reason to believe that similar results would be achieved if this research undertaken in US laboratories was repeated in the UK or elsewhere. He explained: "In a busy building, a lift button can be touched by dozens of different people who will have come into contact with all kinds of bacteria every hour. Even if the buttons are cleaned regularly, the potential for the build up of bacteria is high. It is easy to see that in some environments, especially airports and hotels where there are thousands of people from different places regularly touching lift buttons, that they could be a major potential point for cross contamination and the spread of disease."
Microban antibacterial protection is designed to be incorporated into products such as plastic life buttons at the point of production, providing durable antibacterial and antifungal protection that lasts the useful life of the product. The company uses a wide range of technologies to suit each specific application but predominantly makes use of third generation silver. On untreated products, bacteria can potentially double in number in 20 minutes but Microban disrupts their functioning, usually causing them to die within 24 hours.
A dedicated certification programme ensures that quality testing is regularly carried out on all products carrying the Microban branding and that antibacterial claims are technically supported. This allows manufacturers utilising Microban to use robust claims about their efficacy - for example, ‘preventing 99.9% of bacteria’.
Dr. Moon continued: "Lift buttons are an obvious application for the use of Microban technology and are already used by some of our partner companies including lift component manufacturer LiftStore. While our treatments should never replace normal hygiene precautions such as routine cleaning with water and disinfectants, they can play an important part in inhibiting the growth and spread of potentially harmful bacteria."
Plant a tree
Peter Grant Papers, manufacturer of a comprehensive portfolio of away from home paper products, is backing PHS Direct’s campaign to support The National Forest.
PHS Direct has committed to planting an area of six hectares close to its operational centre in Dordon, Staffordshire, and will plant 5000 trees a year for the next three years - with the option to continue further in the future. Peter Grant Papers is making a contribution to the project.
Sales and marketing director, Paul Weddle, said: "Our support of PHS Direct’s sponsorship project gives us an opportunity to show we take our environmental responsibilities seriously. We’re very happy to support this ambitious initiative to create a National Forest in the heart of England."
James Clark, managing director of PHS Direct, said: "We are delighted Peter Grant Papers has chosen to back our sponsorship of The National Forest and we are looking forward to have a great deal of fun working them and our other supporters in creating our part of the Forest."
Foundation degree in Environmental Cleaning Management
The Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners is providing the opportunity of a foundation degree course, developed in collaboration with the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc), delivered via The University of Northampton. This course provides a unique opportunity to obtain a nationally recognised qualification in cleaning management whilst working.
The course is ideally suited to those who wish to develop and progress their careers within the cleaning or allied industries and to those who wish to gain a higher qualification and adapt to changes in the workplace.
A foundation degree is equivalent to the first two years’ full-time study for a first degree and can be ‘topped up’ to an honours degree by undertaking the equivalent of a further year's full time study.
The course is delivered by distance learning, and usually takes about four years to complete. The student completes three twenty-credit modules each calendar year by self-directed study. Detailed learning materials are provided. Further support is provided by a dedicated team of tutors working in an on-line virtual learning environment.
Each twenty-credit module involves about 200 hours of study, and is a self-contained learning package with course materials, self-assessment and assessed assignments.
As an alternative approach, there are two university certificates available, each covering three twenty-credit modules, but providing an intermediate qualification. These have the equivalent value for accreditation as part of the foundation degree. For organisations sponsoring a number of students, alternative arrangements can be made combining classroom training and distance learning.
Entry requirements for a foundation degree are one A-Level or equivalent and/or evidence of suitability gained through experience, other qualifications or prior learning, particularly for those over 21 years of age. The course enrols three times each year, allowing students to start in January, May or September.
For up to date fee information and course information please contact: study@northampton.ac.uk.
Tork manufacturer wins ‘carbon reporting’ award
Tork manufacturer SCA has won another sustainability award, this time for its carbon reporting. The company emerged as the leader in its home country - Sweden - in the New Economy Carbon Leadership Awards 2010.
New Economy magazine runs an annual programme of awards designed to identify sustainable industry leaders, individuals and organisations. Voting takes place over the Internet and winners are identified by country.
"We are delighted to have been recognised by New Economy for our excellent carbon reporting," said SCA’s vice-president of environmental affairs Patrik Isaksson. "SCA began a group-wide effort to reduce its CO2 emissions as early as 2001, and in 2008 we formulated a quantified CO2 target. We have also had a resource management system in place since the late 1990s, and this plays a crucial role in our ability to make continuous reductions in our CO2 emissions."
SCA’s resource management system has been designed in-house and involves the systematic collection, analysis and presentation of sustainability data from the organisation’s operations worldwide. The system is verified each year by a third party.
SCA’s New Economy Carbon Leadership Award is the latest in a series of sustainability accolades. SCA was commended for its ‘high-quality sustainability report’ in July 2010 by the UN Global Compact’s investor coalition. The company has been a part of the United Nations Global Compact - the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative - since 2008.
In June, SCA was listed in the 2010 FTSE4Good global sustainability market index for the ninth consecutive year. The index measures the performance of companies that meet globally-recognised corporate responsibility standards. And in January SCA appeared in the list of the world’s 100 Most Sustainable Corporations for the sixth year running - and was the only tissue company to do so.
www.tork.co.uk
