A propósito do artigo aqui publicado sob o título “Na Irlanda do rock: Filhos e enteados”, recebi por email o seguinte comunicado de imprensa:

“Date: 15 July 2008

For immediate use

Cleanevent statement in response to Oxegen allegations

Cleanevent is a leading provider of cleaning and waste management services to the sports and leisure industry. We have operations around the world and employ just over 7,500 employees globally.

The story ‘Cleaners for festival had to sleep in stables’ published in The Guardian on July 12, 2008 contained a number of false allegations and inaccuracies about Cleanevent’s treatment of its staff and operational procedures relating to our work at the Oxegen festival in Naas, Ireland.

Cleanevent was awarded the contract to provide the festival with cleaning support for the duration of the festival. Accommodation was provided by the festival organisers MCD and Cleanevent was informed that the staff accommodation consisted of refurbished, heated stables - not tents as would normally be the case at such festivals. The stable block has clean shower facilities and restaurant area capable of producing hot food with an attached recreational area with seating and a television.

During the recruiting process, Cleanevent staff were told – via telephone, email, noticeboards and text messages – that they would be paid on an hourly basis at the UK minimum wage. As they would be accommodated in a refurbished stable block, they were asked to bring sleeping bags and pillows. The small number of staff who omitted to do so were provided with them by Cleanevent management.

Cleanevent brought over to Ireland 34 members of staff: 30 cleaning staff and four supervisors. Cleanevent’s UK staff arrived at the Punchestown racecourse, the site of the Oxegen music festival, at approximately 19.30 on Tuesday 8^th July and received a hot meal. Due to a delivery problem with the hired contractor, not all the camp beds – one per person - were delivered on time and additional, sufficient air mattresses were sourced and delivered within an hour of Cleanevent’s staff arrival. Cleanevent provided all staff with their own beds, and no beds were purchased by staff.

Prior to the event, the refurbished stables had been thoroughly cleaned professionally to a high standard by a sanitation specialist and equipped with heaters, lighting, electricity, and electrical sockets for phones, hairdryers, etc. The photograph shown in the Guardian was a storage closet used by veterinary staff back in April 2008 and was not designated as accommodation for Cleanevent staff. The stable accommodation was clean and dry, with natural light via skylights and lockable doors.

In addition to housing Cleanevent’s cleaning staff, the refurbished stables were also used by Cleanevent’s management and supervisors, as well as the labour hire company director, due to the suitability and superiority of the accommodation.

Other facilities were provided, including ladies and gents showers with 24 hour access to hot water and an onsite restaurant with hot meals and 24 hour hot/cold drinks at no cost to cleaning staff. We are providing Cleanevent staff with three hot, nutritious meals per day, and have overbooked meals by an additional 40% to ensure that our staff are appropriately fed. The shower and food/drink facilities have been used by Cleanevent staff, as well as the performers at the Oxegen festival due to their high standard.

The vast majority of the Cleanevent staff expected and were happy with the accommodation provided. Out of the over 200 Cleanevent staff on site at the festival, a small number (eight) of cleaning staff complained about the facilities upon arrival. These staff stated that they had expected to stay in a hotel, despite the fact that this is not standard procedure when working at outdoor festivals.

Once they made their dissatisfaction known to Cleanevent management, a meeting was convened with the eight staff who expressed dissatisfaction, to try to resolve the situation. Of those eight, three cleaning staff decided to leave the Oxegen event and were offered transportation back to the UK the next day, paid for by Cleanevent. As far as Cleanevent is aware, the gardai (police) were not contacted.

Cleanevent treats the allegations made in the Guardian very seriously. Cleanevent launched an investigation and the CEO asked the UK HR Manager to fly over to the festival to view the facilities and to investigate the allegations directly and immediately.

Based on the report our senior management has received, we are satisfied that the accommodation provided is of a good standard, and is in line with – if not better than – that normally provided to cleaning and other contracted staff working on comparable outdoor events such as Glastonbury. We are in the process of offering the three Cleanevent staff who have complained the opportunity to go through Cleanevent’s normal grievance procedure, where they can express their dissatisfaction and we will work to find a mutually acceptable solution.

ENDS

For additional information or clarification, please contact:

Alex Bigham, abigham@apcoworldwide.com or +44 7979 378 872.”

E a propósito, transcrevo o comentário de Miguel Portas:

“Na Irlanda do rock: actualização II

Jul 14, 2008 | publicado por Paz

Actualização
A Cleanevent emitiu um comunicado sobre os acontecimentos. Nele, manifesta a sua vontade de fazer uma reunião com os oito contestatários que “expressaram a sua insatisfação, para discutir como a Cleanevent pode fazer melhor no futuro”. No que respeita aos três que regressaram, querem um encontro “to find a mutually acceptable solution”. É caso para dizer, do mal o menos.

No mais, considera que a sua investigação sobre as condições de trabalho e repouso lhes permite afirmar que “we are satisfied that the accommodation provided is of a good standard, and is in line with - if not better than - that normally provided to cleaning and other contracted staff working on comparable outdoor events such as Glastonbury”. Têm, muito provavelmente, razão. Nos outros festivais, as condições de estadia e repouso também não costumam ser brilhantes…

Em suma, uma tempestade num copo de água que o bom senso, embora tardio, resolverá? Esta a interpretação benigna. A outra nem tanto. A Cleanevents trabalha com 7.500 trabalhadores ocasionais. É muita gente e trata-se de uma das grandes firmas inglesas neste tipo de prestação de serviços. Dispensa de bom grado “má imagem”. E investigações mais aprofundadas ao modo como dá trabalho, a quem e em que condições. Pense, por um momento, nos imigrantes sem papéis e aqui tem porque, defendendo a sua dama, a direcção da empresa quer impedir que este incidente tenha qualquer outro tipo de consequências.”

Cumprida que foi a missão de informar, “O Cacimbo” remete para os seus leitores as respectivas conclusões.