Minister for Superannuation, Bill Shorten has today said that cleaners will be amongst those employees to suffer most from Tony Abbott’s cruel and short-sighted cuts to superannuation.

Cleaners will also be amongst the most vulnerable under the Liberal Party’s plans to reintroduce unfair individual contracts; cutting wages and conditions to the bone.

There is no doubt that cleaners will be worse off under an Abbott government.

Employees who by and large rely on the mandated compulsory superannuation guarantee, like cleaners, will lose out under a Liberal government.

For those earning $37,000 or less, they will also be forced to pay tax on their superannuation contributions under the Liberals.

In contrast, the Gillard Labor Government is supporting cleaners saving for retirement by increasing the Super Guarantee from 9 per cent to 12 per cent.

The Gillard Labor Government is also boosting the retirement savings of low income earners by up to $500 a year, of which 2.2 million are women.

There are almost 160,000 commercial cleaners, and around 33,000 domestic cleaners, working full-time and part-time in Australia.

The average age of our cleaners is 47 years, compared to 39 years of age across all occupations.

Almost 6 in every 10  commercial cleaners and around 8 in every 10 domestic cleaners are women.

6 in every 10 commercial cleaners and almost 8 in every 10 domestic cleaners are also working part-time, with around 35 per cent of all cleaners earning $37,000 or less a year.

The Liberal Party’s plan to once again rip away the safety net from employees like cleaners will leave them vulnerable in workplace negotiations.

Many cleaners rely on workplace entitlements like penalty rates to make ends meet.

Almost 30 per cent of commercial cleaners and 24 per cent of domestic cleaners are born in non-English speaking countries compared to 16.7 per cent for all occupations.

Around 4 in every 10 cleaners are born overseas.

The choice at the next election couldn’t be clearer.

The Gillard Labor Government stands for a fair workplace relations system that protects the most vulnerable in our society.

The Gillard Labor Government also stands for a strong superannuation system which ensures Australians who work hard don’t retire poor.

An Abbott government will cut superannuation and entitlements at work to the bone leaving hard working Australians, like cleaners, worse off.

Mr Shorten’s media contact: Sam Casey—0421 697 660