The industry body seeking a negotiated pay settlement for cleaners has criticised a union decision to launch protest action, when talks on pay are due to take place this week.

Cleaning contractors, represented by the Building Service Contractors of New Zealand, expect to meet with the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) on Thursday to progress towards reaching a negotiated wage settlement.

Brian Young, President of the BSCNZ, said that it was disappointed the union had chosen to initiate protests days before talks for a new MECA (multi Employer Collective Agreement) were due to restart.

"It is hard to see why the union has chosen to take action when the industry has been working for months to try to progress negotiations," said Mr Young.

"Despite the difficult economic conditions, there is already an offer on the table which is above the Consumer Price Index of 2 per cent.

"Most of the people employed by BSCNZ members are paid above the minimum wage but the union is effectively calling for a 16.5 per cent pay increase and that is simply not realistic for New Zealand businesses, especially coming out of a recession."

Mr Young said that union's demand for extra central government funding, provided to schools in the 2009 budget, to be passed on to cleaning staff was at the discretion of principals and school boards, not the industry.

"The BSCNZ has undertaken to pass on additional pay increases directly to school cleaners where schools making additional funding available," he said.

"However, the use of the funding is at the discretion of the schools and some are choosing to purchase computer equipment and library resources, as well as making funds available for cleaning staff.

"We have continued to try to progress talks with the union despite the fact they only have 12 percent membership within our industry and hope this can now progress in the most productive way, at the bargaining table."