The following is a summary/translation of four programmes on Danish national radio ["Danmarks Radio" - DR], transmitted on the following dates: April 28th, May 5th, 12th and 19th.
The programmes were written by Karin Høgh.
Summary/translation by Jens Tingleff
Explanatory notes are rendered evasively, inside square brackets [like this], with original Danish in quotes. Summary notes in contrast, like this.
Some editing has been done to make the verbal interviews read well, even - as far as possible - in the case of the statements from the head of scientology public relations in Denmark Annette Refstrup.
The currency mentioned is Danish Kroner, there are approximately 7 Kroner to a US dollar.
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The four programmes are
April 28th Are scientology-owned cleaning companies part of the 'cleaning Mafia'?
May 5th Do scientology-owned cleaning companies use scientology 'technology'?
May 12th Should job-seekers be informed about any connection a prospective employer and scientology?
May 19th Comment by Tom Heinemann. Read this if the rest seems too long. Read the sorry tale of the cleaning company 'The White Glove'...
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"Fra Arbejdsmarkedet" April 28th 1998
Lead-in:
Who hasn't heard the expression 'if you can't find another job, you can always do cleaning and wash stairs'? It may well be that it's possible to find work as a cleaner. But those who clean our offices and workplaces have traditionally been among the group of the worst paid, the least educated and those with the worst conditions of work. With time, unions have achieved a series of improvements in the field, but there's still some way to go, before the entire cleaning workforce, which is so vital to everyone else, gets adequate work conditions.
Inge Krul, IK:
Cleaning, today, has become a really good profession. But, we do have a few of what we call irregular ["uorganiserede"] companies, where no agreements ["overenskomster"] are in place, which disappoint us badly.
In the following series of programmes, we take a closer look at a handful of this type of companies. These companies have, among others, the common trait that management does not like that the workers are members of a union. The companies have their own conditions:
Steen Hoe, SH:
We were told to inform the workers that from now, they would be paid union rates, but they had to work faster. I would have no part of that, and so I quit the job as supervisor.
What these conditions are, and the reason that workers and unions think that the conditions are unusual in the business, is the subject of this programme.
Agreement secretary in the Union of Women Workers ["faglig sekretær, Kvindeligt Arbejderforbund, afdeling 1 i Købehavn"], Inge Krul, is in her office with agreements, lay-off notes and contracts, which workers in a few companies have put forward. Several of them have asked 'can it be true, that one has to accept, and sign to, conditions like these?' Inge Krul leafs through some of them
IK:
... that's a funny one, too. The contract I have in front of me here, is certainly not a contract of a type which we are used to seeing. There are a number of points here which do not meet the demands to what we find should be part of an agreement to work. There are also things which we must distance ourselves from in the strongest possible way.
Karin Høgh, KH:
What are those?
IK:
Among other things, the point that if one does not stay through the entirity of the employment period, in this case one year, one has to pay 500 Kroner in order to terminate the contract before the end of the year. This is not a part of normal agreements in our field. In our field, with union agreements, it is customary to have notice periods which are also binding for the employee, but there are no fixed amounts as here, and no minimum time before being permitted to quit the job.
KH:
What do you think about the fact that an ordinary cleaning person ["rengøringsassistent"] signs, as in this case, an exclusion agreement ["konkurrenceklausul"], that is: for two years this person is not permitted to take work for other cleaning companies?
IK:
This is unheard of, and it's completely unacceptable to write this sort of thing into a working agreement, I find. The salary here is very low compared to the union rate in this field, it's approximately 15 Kroner [per hour] below the current level, and that is not acceptable either. There are also things about bonuses and so on; but that's not right, it's on your salary that you should make your living, it's not on the bonuses.
description of salary for workers covered by union rates (just over 90 Kroner per hour)
KH:
Is it normal, in the cleaning profession, that salary depends on the quality of the work?
IK:
Not to my knowledge. I haven't seen that; there may be special cases where this is the case, but it's not the normal case.
KH:
in this case, one is actually not paid minimum wage unless one executes the job to 'the fullest satisfaction'.
IK:
Yes, well, everywhere else you earn your full salary, and if you don't do your job well, I think it's the duty of the employer to send you on a cleaning course...
KH:
The union hasn't tried to establish an agreement with this company, but you have made a visit to it, to 'The White Rose' ["Den Hvide Rose"].
IK:
Yes we have, as part of our campaign, where we visited various companies, both those we knew, and those we didn't know, and we visited this company as well. We arrived, and were received by a gentleman ["herre"]. We asked if we could talk to some of the cleaners he had working, and we were told that we couldn't. We then asked how many hours they worked, and were told that it was something like three to six, maybe nine hours per week. We then asked if he wasn't interested in making an agreement with us, and he certainly wasn't
Discussion of how binding a contract is. It turns out that, even if one has signed a contract but the contract us unacceptable or the employee has not been able to understand all the clauses of the contract, it is possible to bring a lawsuit against it (in civil court) and that the union offers support for this. Unfortunately, unemployment is so high that new workers can always replace those who are unhappy and leave.
... Inge Krul is not the only one who is surprised that unions are rarely aware of the mere existence of these companies. Thorkild Holmboe, TH, deputy chairman of the Copenhagen section of the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union ["næstformand i Hotel- og Restaurationspersonalets Københavnsafdeling"] has been looking into the irregular parts of the cleaning business, the so-called 'cleaning Mafia' ["rengøringsmafiaen"], for several years. There are companies who are completely isolated and are run after their own principles.
TH:
This means that no information is available, we are not in touch with, and we cannot get in touch with, people working in these companies. Any attempt to achieve any co-operation between the union and the company is promptly cut off at the first contact with the company.
KH:
But this could be a indication that the employees are quite satisfied, when you don't hear anything.
TH:
Normally, it is the case that even .. when there are good companies and good workplaces, that we hear about it. Where employees are satisfied, we immediately hear about it, people would converge on this company; our members are very interested in hearing about where the good jobs are. It would be natural that the unions knew everything about good companies; good companies being rare in this business.
KH:
but when you don't hear anything, what does that signify to you?
TH:
This causes me to become very worried, and my suspicisions are aroused immediately.
Says Thorkild Holmboe of the union of Hotel and Restaurant Workers.
We have spoken to former employees of the companies 'The White Rose,' 'Your Cleaning,' 'Ginge Service,' 'The White Tornado' and 'Zealand Cleaning' ["Den Hvide Rose," "Din Rengøring," "Ginge Service," "Den Hvide Orkan" and "Sjællandsk Rengøring"]. The former employees do not wish to come forward, out of fear of reprisals, but they can document problems with getting the minimum salary, with getting paid sick-days, pension contributions and vacation [all mandated by law], also in the only company to have signed an agreement with the relevant unions. Steen Hoe was emploied in that company for some months, just as the company joined the employers organisation.
SH:
.. and that had as result that the salary which was paid was 20% too low compared to the union rate, and to enter the organisation one had to raise the salaries to the union rate. And there wasn't enough money to just add 20% to the salaries, so the supervisors were informed that we had to sit down and fabricate a reduction of the hours, so that the hourly wage went up, but the salary expenses staid the same.
KH:
but, you're still working in the cleaning business, isn't it the case that competition is so hard that you have to squeeze every penny to survive in the business at all?
SH:
Well, yes, but it also depends on what your fixed costs are constructed. I found that the fixed costs of this company were very high, compared to what one sees in the rest of the business.
KH:
so, one spent a lot of money on administration, ?
SH:
yes, a lot of money was spent on administration, on inspectors, quality managers and other things So, according to Steen Hoe, the company could afford to pay the minimum salary. Back to Inge Krul of the Women Workers Union
KH:
but, no-one is talking to you, you don't have any members in these companies, is that a problem for you?
IK:
Yes it is. The biggest problem is probably that, in the company in question, they work in many places. They may only have one or two persons in each place. And, in our outgoing work, we need to, and have a right to, have access to the prospective members, and we do not always get permission to do this, from either the employer or the workplace.
KH:
have you attempted to find out whether this agreement is adhered to?
IK:
We have written once to the company to learn if we could visit the employees who could be our members and we got the reply that this was unfortunately not possible, taking into considereation the work situation ["arbejdets tarv" - a legal term]
KH:
meaning that it would interfer with the work?
IK:
exactly. We have had a member who contaced us, but was really sorry that we would contact the employer. It's difficult to make a case if we are not permitted to contact the employer, and of course we only do this if the member wants us to.
The companies that are being discussed here, are all lead by people with connection to scientology. An organisation which is recognised as a religion ["trossamfund"] in some countries, but in, for example, Germany is being viewed as totaletarian organisation which is not a religion, but a business. Scientology has its European headquarter in Copenhagen, and several members run their own businesses. They have followed courses in the scientology organisation, which has as their purpose to promote the theories of the founder - L Ron Hubbard - also in the field of running a business. As a scientologist one is encouraged to use the techniques everywhere, meaning also when one runs a cleaning company, but several of the former employees, and the relevant unions, bring forward the very special contracts and ask: ' is this what is taught in scientology?'
We would like an answer to this question, also from the companies in question. Steen Hoe, who was cleaning supervisor in one of the companies, tell:
SH:
It was run with very systematic organisation. There was a registration system, which was used to keep taps on all employees at all times, they had quality systems, and they had inspection systems, to keep track of whether a workplace was in top condition, linked to the bonus system.
Steen Hoe left his job as cleaning superisor, because he was dissatisfied with the work conditions. But not only for that reason. When he found that his employer had connections to scientology, he was shocked, not least because he had been hired using the personality-test used by scientology to recruit new members in the streets.
KH:
Wasn't there parts of their way to run the company which you thought was good, something you could use?
SH:
Sure, and some things which he recognised from other companies
KH:
So, why was it a problem for you that the company was run by people who were connected to scientology?
SH:
Particularly the reticence about openness. Working in a company at a leadership level, one should operate as part of a unit, one shouldn't hide things from one and other.
KH:
Not even if it's related to one's personal beliefs?
SH:
Especially in that area. When I was hired, I immediately informed them about my religious beliefs, and I think that they expressed that it was a good thing to start off with a well-defined situation, that everyone worked together from a position of complete frankness. When you learn, later, that they are all scientologists and never have mentioned it, you feel bad. Then you start thinking back, and remember small incidents in a new light. I found that this was not the kind of place where I wanted to work.
The managing director of the company where Steen Hoe worked does not want to confirm that the company is run by scientologists, and he does not want to make a statement the problems of the company with labour-relations or even be interviewed. But other former employees, who do not wish to stand forward for fear of being harassed by their former employer, confirm the experiences of Steen Hoe, and - because they worked close to the management of the company - they can give a precise description of staff policies and management.
The scientologists who ran, and still run, the company, use the controversial personality test of scientology when recruiting for several senior positions; the management theories of the founder, contained in ten green volumes, were placed on the shelves, and scientology was often mentioned in the offices. The former employees felt that proselytism was inflicted on employees who did not have connections with scientology.
The former empoyees, and the unions, wonder why there are so many scientologists in the cleaning business, and whether the ways in which the companies were run are identical to those practices of scientology which are often criticised. Only Per Ginge Nielsen, PGH, of 'Ginge Service' has wanted to come forward as a scientologist, and tell that he uses the tools which scientology offer to leaders of businesses, for instance. He is a member of the scientology organisation for business leaders, WISE.
PGN:
There are certainly cleaning copanies in other countries, so it's not a particular Danish phenomenon. And why is this, ah, just like there are cleaning businesses which are not run by scientologists: it's an easy business to start.
KH:
For many of these companies, the unions wonder why they don't follow the usual 'rules of the game' ["fagretslige spilleregler"], is that a coincidence?
PGN:
The only thing I can say to that claim is 'Well?' .. none of the things you mention here are the case for 'Ginge Service.' I am originally from another line of business where performance-related pay is much more common, where there are many more employees and where the salaries are much higher than in the cleaning business.
KH:
But some people think that there are common traits for these cleaning companies run by scientologists, that they cannot sign agreements with the unions and pay the minimum wage and play by the rules. Is that a coincidence?
PGN:
The only thing I can say to that is 'Well?' I have no idea what the background is for your descriptions.
KH:
I have shown you some examples of it, this is in part what the criticism is about.
PGN:
That company, I hardly know it at all.
KH:
Again, it's a company run by scientologists.
PGN:
I know it exists, that's all. Their policies and so on are unknown to me.
That's what Per Ginge Nielsen says; he doesn't think it's reasonable to compare scientology-run companies to the so-called 'cleaning Mafia'. This is not the case, according to Thorkild Holmboe of the union of Hotel and Restaurant Workers. The union has an on-going lawsuit against 'Your Cleaning,' a firing where a pregnant woman was laid off the day after she reported sick - one of the few labour-related lawsuits ever against a cleaning company run by scientologists.
TH:
There is a large number of common points, let's put it like that. The 'cleaning Mafia' is usually characterised by the need to have a complete hold over their employees. There must be strict dicipline, and total silence, that is, one cannot have the staff of the 'cleaning Mafia' running to the unions or the authorities and tell what goes on inside the limits of the companies. This is seen from day to day by the fact that we don't learn anything [".. at vi ikke får en .. nogetsomhelst at vide"] about those cleaning companies. for companies run by people who are working for the scientology organisation, or who are themselves scientologists, the symptoms are the same
KH:
How?
TH:
They would typically be complete closed up. There is no information available about the companies, we have no contact whatsoever with either management or staff of these companies. And this is completely untypical in this line of business, in a normal cleaning company, we would normally have some 20 to 30 % of the employees as members, and we would have a natural acces to information about the ways in which companies were run and where the staff worked and how the companies were doing, and - most importantly - how our members were doing in the company.
Lead-out:
Said Thorkild Holmboe ... to Karin Høgh. In next week's 'From the Workplace,' we take closer look at whether scienoltogists who run a business uses the theories of scientology, and whether they are proselyting in the workplace.
Continue to Part 2
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