The federal opposition has condemned as "deceptive" moves by Employment Minister Eric Abetz to reduce future wages for cleaners at Commonwealth sites by about 20 per cent.
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In a case of dashed hopes, the abolition of the cleaning services guidelines, which boosted wage levels for about 1000 workers in Canberra, came on the same day the Coalition had appeared to retain the rules in a Senate vote.
The vote on Thursday, part of law changes to fulfil the government's Red Tape Repeal Day in March, involved the Coalition accepting an ALP amendment which exempted the guidelines from the scrapheap.
Labor MPs and the United Voice union had welcomed the apparent backdown on the day, but on Friday learnt the conservative minister had shredded the guidelines himself.
"The sneaky and underhanded way Senator Abetz has cut the salaries of some of Australia's lowest paid workers shows all the hallmarks of this cruel and unfair government," Shadow Finance Minister Tony Burke said.
"The government has set a new low with actions that are deceptive, sneaky and arrogant."
United Voice ACT branch secretary Lyndal Ryan said cleaners had been relieved by the outcome of the vote, but were now left troubled.
The current guidelines, which provide a base hourly rate of $22.02 compared to the modern award's $17.49, were put in place in 2012 by a ministerial instrument signed by then Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten.
Senator Abetz has rejected the criticism, with a spokesman saying the decision not to renew the guidelines (which applied to about 20 contracts nationally) would not force cleaners to take a pay cut.
"Cleaners will continue to be entitled to the rates of pay in their current industrial arrangements," the spokesman said.
Contracts in place will not be affected, but it is unclear how future bidders for Commonwealth building sites will be able to retain wages at guidelines' levels and not lose out to a lower-priced option closer to the award rates.
Senator Abetz's spokesman said the government supported the opposition's amendment to get the relevant bill through the Parliament, but had never said they supported the guidelines.
The Minister had previously attacked the guidelines' requirement to have union officials provide new employees with union information, but Ms Ryan said workers had never complained.
