
Issue No 19		25 June 1999

News

New Years Pay: Casino Workers Win Triple Time

Workers at Sydney's Star Casino have won triple time to work New Years Eve in a deal which could set a benchmark for the hospitality industry and beyond.

The deal will apply to the casino's 3,000 workers, working in areas such as waiting, dealing, food and beverage, security and cleaning. It will translate into hourly wages of $60 per hour and up from 8pm on New Years Eve until 8pm New Years Day.

It was reached after the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union surveyed members about what they believed would be fair compensation for working on the party of the millennium.

The LHMU's Jeff Roser says the casino management has recognised that they would need a committed staff and minimal absenteeism in what should be their busiest night in history.

He says the LHMU will now use this deal as a benchmark for other big employers who will reap huge profits on New Years Eve through the efforts of their workforce.

Still Waiting on a Public Holiday

Meanwhile, the NSW Labor Council is still waiting on a response from the Carr Government to their request to declare New years Eve a public holiday.

The request was made amidst concerns that thousands of workers would be asked to miss celebrating the millennium with their families for just a standard rate of pay.

Unlike most New Years Eve, it won't just be the hospitality industry calling on workers. Because of concerns about the Millennium Bug thousands of workers across the city will be asked to monitor computers as the clock ticks past midnight.

With many of these offices in the CBD, unions like the Finance Sector Union are concerned about how workers will be able to get into and out of the city, given that authorities are planning to close the city to traffic.

"We are optimistic that the government will deliver for workers on this issue," Labor Council secretary Michael Costa says.

"In any event, we call on employers to follow the lead of the Casino and agree to remunerate workers appropriately. If they don't they can expect the union movement to organise around the issue."

"This is one night where the workers will be really asked to put in; the least that employers can do is share in some of the profits they will make out of this celebration."

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Issue 19 contents

Interview: Moore for the Battlers
NCOSS director Garry Moore gives the community sector's response to this week's State Budget

Unions: AWU's Bush Blitz
"This is AWU Country". That's the slogan for the Australian Workers Union as it launches its campaign to address the specific needs of workers throughout regional and rural Australia.

Indigenous: Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide
A United Nations committee slams Australia on indigenous native title rights.

International: Unions Post-War Stand
The world labour group demands KFOR track war-crimes authors and says social dimension central to Balkan reconstruction.

History: How Swede It Was
Swedish seafarers play an important role in South Australia's maritime history.

Review: If He Had Only Listened To Me ...
If Michael Thompson had listened to me the current debate raging in the nation嚙編 opinion pages about his book may not have been as hysterical.

» Dirty Linen: Cleaners Beat Hotel Giant

» New Years Pay: Casino Workers Win Triple Time

» Budget Gaps Tell Bigger Story

» Oakdale Miners Take On Canberra

» Second Wave Means Zero Tolerance

» For Olympic嚙編 Sake Let嚙編 Become Weekend Warriors

» Brassed Off: Birch Not Out of the Woods

» No Ship is an Island

» Firey Country Conference to Fuel Bush Resurgence

» Pay Anniversary Marks New Challenges

» Join the Labor Council Team!