A group of 17 Brentwood Town Centre cleaners and maintenance workers facing layoffs announced plans Tuesday for a public protest this Saturday at the Burnaby mall.
The Brentwood mall service staff stand to lose their jobs because Shape Properties, which owns a 50% share of the mall, is taking over mall management and plans to contract out cleaning and maintenance work.
According to the employees, Shape Properties has made it clear to them that they have no intention of retaining staff or making a commitment to maintain wages and standards for the contracted workers.
Support for the workers, who are members of Service Employees International Union, is building as community members realize what is happening.
“We must protect good family supporting jobs in our province,” said MLA for Surrey-Newton Harry Bains.
Bains added that the workers have his “full support in their endeavours to fight to retain these jobs.”
Jessie Hon Wen has been cleaning at the mall for almost four years and needs the job to support her son.
“We believe that Burnaby’s families deserve good jobs,” said Wen.
“Brentwood Town Centre used to be considered a community partner in Burnaby. But what kind of community partner cuts decent paying jobs with benefits in our community?”
The Brentwood workers have encouraged mall patrons to contact Shape Properties and ask the company to behave like a responsible corporate citizen.
Calls to Shape Properties were not returned by press deadline.