Most traders will know that
Pete The Cleaner, or Guru Pete to many, is in danger of losing his job at QVM.
Pete is employed by the current cleaning contractor and they will be handing
over to a new contractor on 4th July.
Pete has become a bit of an
icon at QVM and it is fair to say that traders don’t want to lose him. Pete
would also like to stay at QVM. We asked Pete if traders could write a
reference to his potential new employer but he declined saying he didn’t want
to cause a fuss and he would prefer to let matters take their course.
So we agreed we wouldn’t
interfere in the process or write a formal reference to the new contractor. But
if we had, this is how it would look –
To Whom It May Concern
We are writing this reference
in relation to Pete The Cleaner, a current employee at the Queen Victoria
Market.
Pete is a very important part
of the QVM cleaning service and is a well-respected, some would say “much-loved”,
character at our market. Pete attends our market from early hours and
diligently does his rounds with trolley, broom, and shovel in hand attending to
the variety of cleaning jobs that are part of a large public market.
Many of those jobs are tedious,
and some unsavoury, but Pete conducts all his duties with a bright friendly
demeanour that makes dealing with him an absolute pleasure. He is polite and helpful to our customers and often provides location advice for those struggling to find their way around our complex site. So to us he is more
than just a cleaner – he is an engaging character who takes great interest in
what is happening around the market and can be counted on when cleaning
services are required.
And it is that final point
that we would like to focus on with a potential employer. In many parts of our
city, cleaning is done after hours and cleaners simply need to get on with their
assigned tasks. When you are performing your tasks in public and at the mercy
of 700 independent market traders it requires a whole new skill set. Pete’s
ability to provide speedy service to a variety of customers (traders) is very
impressive. His rapport, ability to co-operate, and lay-down-the-law with
traders when necessary, is a valuable talent.
We have no hesitation in
recommending Pete for that type of role.
Yours Faithfully,
Queen Victoria Market
Traders.