29 Oct 2017

Fresh approach: Socially aware startup pays cleaners more

From Sunday Morning, 11:35 am on 29 October 2017

The cleaning industry is notorious for paying workers low wages. Most cleaners earn the minimum wage - that's $15.75 an hour for adults. Wellington start-up The Fresh Desk wants to change that. Its founders Caroline de Castro and Nicole Oxenbridge have just won $18,000 in funding from a business accelerator for social enterprises run by the Akina Foundation "established to support a growing number of socially minded Kiwi entrepreneurs wanting to scale the businesses they founded to address social needs". Caroline and Nicole play workers in their Wellington business the Living Wage, $4.45 more an hour than the minimum.