To: All Shop Stewards, Deputy Shop Stewards & House Committee Members
Re: Fitting Room Cleaning by General Sales Staff
Date: Monday 27th September 2021
Dear Penney’s Shop Stewards, Deputy Shop Stewards & House Committee Members
Please see below copy of email, which has been sent to Ms. Michelle Whelan with regard to the cleaning of fitting rooms. If you have received queries or concerns from fellow members in-store please bring their concerns to the attention of Local Management.
Mandate will keep you informed of any and all responses received from the Company.
Kind regards
Amanda Kane
Divisional Organiser
Hi Michelle,
I hope you are well. I have received calls from Officials and Shop Stewards regarding the reopening of the fitting rooms and the requirement for general sales staff to sanitise and clean the fitting rooms every 30 mins and in one store, I was advised the requirement to clean the fitting room is after every customer. Notwithstanding the need to ensure that the fitting rooms are clean and sanitised, the feedback from the stores is that the cleaning of the fitting rooms is more appropriate to the cleaning contractors, who have the required PPE, health and safety training, regarding the cleaning standards etc. and the safe use of chemicals.
Given the that these fitting rooms need to be sanitised properly in accordance with health guidelines, based upon the uniqueness of Covid-19, Mandate’s view would be that the selling/merchandising of products and the cleaning/sanitisation of fittings rooms etc. are two separate functions that should be conducted safely by the relevant staff in order to restrict the transmission of Covid-19 from colleague to customer and colleague to colleague. General Sales staff being required to clean these rooms, serve customers at till points and merchandise stock is a practice that we believe can be done more effectively and safely as highlighted above. The Officials are dealing with the queries locally and I am sure our Shop Stewards are raising the matter instore with local management, however given that it’s a nationwide operational requirement since last Friday, I felt it necessary to inform you of our concerns, which I hope the company will reflect on and consider positively.
Kind regards,
Jonathan