Building cleaners benefit nationwide from emergency childcare

The building cleaning industry should also be recognized as a systemically relevant profession, demands Olaf Piepenbrock (Stock image: Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH + Co. KG)

The building cleaning industry should also be recognized as a systemically relevant profession, demands Olaf Piepenbrock (Stock image: Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH + Co. KG)

All 16 federal states now offer emergency childcare for cleaning staff working in critical infrastructures. This is the result of the revised regulations to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. This decision is correct and overdue, says Olaf Piepenbrock, Managing Partner of the Piepenbrock Group. Nevertheless, the systemic relevance of cleaning staff has not yet been recognized nationwide.

"Our employees ensure daily that cleanliness and hygiene are maintained in important facilities such as hospitals or grocery stores. They thus contribute significantly to the continued functioning of essential infrastructure," emphasizes Olaf Piepenbrock. "To the politicians, I say: Thank you for opening up options like emergency childcare for cleaning staff in critical infrastructures," Piepenbrock continues. Besides doctors, nursing staff, supermarket employees, and other professional groups, cleaning staff have performed outstanding work during the Covid-19 pandemic, often going beyond the normal scope. The appreciation already shown to cleaning personnel is both correct and important. However, there is a lack of nationwide recognition: "Cleaning staff should be classified as a systemically relevant occupational group nationwide – regardless of their place of deployment and not only implicitly as part of critical infrastructure," demands Piepenbrock. Good cleaning significantly contributes to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. Adjusted cleaning intervals in response to the crisis are also an essential part of occupational safety standards during the Covid-19 pandemic, published by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. "I also wish that the symbolic impact of these decisions endures beyond the pandemic and leaves a lasting impression. Our employees deserve appreciation not only during the current crisis but also afterwards," emphasizes the managing partner.