Cleaning company founder apologizes for 'unintended delayed payments'
The founder of a B.C.-based cleaning company is apologizing following CTV News' reporting that numerous contractors were not compensated for their work.
Scrubbi CEO Daniel Deckert issued a statement Tuesday, acknowledging "unintended delayed payments" to cleaners and saying he is sorry for the "adverse impact" it had on those workers and their families.
"We value our cleaning professionals, and I am personally overseeing that unnecessary delays never happen again," the statement said, attributing the delays to a change in the company's method of payment processing.
"We have abandoned our new payment processing system and reverted to our previous system. We are also trying to determine if additional cleaning professionals are impacted."
The apology comes a week after CTV News first reported on the issue, sharing the stories of three women – one in Vancouver, one in Ottawa, and one in Victoria – who all said they had been waiting weeks or months for payment. Further, they said that the company seemed to ignore their attempts to follow up.
"They don't seem to care," said Jessica Davis, a mom who lives in Ottawa.
Just hours after CTV News contacted the company to inquire about those first cases, the workers were paid.
But more cleaners kept coming forward with similar stories, whether they were located in B.C., Ontario, or Saskatchewan. The amounts they said they were owed ranged from $400 to nearly $2,000. Not all of their issues were recent; some reported payment issues dating back to the summer of 2022.
A former employee from the company's head office also spoke to CTV News, saying calls from distressed contractors who were missing pay were commonplace.
"Daily, we were getting about five, six different contractors calling, wanting to get payment," said Sonia Cheeba, who worked for Scrubbi for nearly a year and a half.
She said the tough phone conversations were the main reason she left the Canada-wide company.
"They couldn't pay their bills, they were crying, some of them got their cars repo'd," Cheema said.
Deckert's statement says his company’s vison was to "elevate the cleaning profession beyond stereotypes," to pay the contractors well and to allow them to keep all their tips and set flexible schedules.
"While we recently fell short of our obligations in some cases, you have my renewed commitment to demonstrate how much we value our cleaning professionals and clients," his apology ends.
Experts have also noted the uphill battle individual workers trying to fight the company for payment would face, particularly since many of them are racialized women or recent immigrants, as well as because they are classified as independent contractors who lack the legal protections of employees.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kevin Charach and Angela Jung
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.