News

Hotels Charge Triple Time - Now for the Workers

Big city hotels are planning to charge clients more than three times the normal room rate over the New Years Eve period, adding fuel to a union push to increase pay rates over the same period.

At least one hotel, the Ritz Carlton will be increasing its normal tariff fivefold, with New Years punters facing a $5000 bill for three nights.

Other big hotels are inflating room nights from:

- $215 per night to $1900 for a minimum four-night package (Intercontinental)

- $400 per night to $7250 for a minimum five-night package (Park Hyatt)

- $205 per night to $2000 for a four-night package (Wentworth)

- $240 per night to $2759 for a five-night package (Hilton)

ACTU organiser Troy Burton says these prices are estimates by hotel staff, with most hotels booked out and refusing to state what they will be charging New Years Eve.

Burton says it's only fair that the workers who'll be helping the hotels make these huge one-off profits, should also share some of the benefit.

"The Star City Casino has already agreed to pay its staff a rate equivalent to four times the award rate, recognising the important role they'll be playing and the personal sacrifice they'll be making on the night," he says.

"Employers have to realise that if they try to skimp on staff they may have trouble getting enough people on what will be one of the busiest nights of the years.

Without a special agreement, workers will be expected to work New Years Eve for a flat rate, because it falls on a Friday and is not designated a public holiday.

Preliminary survey results of hospitality workers organised by the LHMU show that 96 per cent of members say they wouldn't be prepared to work on New Years Eve at their ordinary rate of pay. For more survey results see next week's Workers Online

Brits Do Better

Meanwhile, British workers appear to be setting the international benchmark for getting a decent New Years pay, after the Blair Government declared New Years Eve a public holiday.

This has not stoped individual unions securing one-off deals for workers on the night, including:

- BBC journalists a 500 pound payment for working New Years Eve.

- Midland Bank agreeing to a sliding pay scale of up to eight times the base rate between 6pm December 31 and 2pm January 1.

- British Airways paying staff a bonus of 400 pounds or four free flights for working between 10pm and 4am on New Years Eve

- Ereswash Borough Council offering staff triple time plus one week's holiday.

- Three Valleys Water - will give staff a cinema ticket and a meal for two to the value of 150 pounds.

Burton says the British experience shows how employers can be persuaded to do the right thing.

"There is no one size fits all approach, it's up to workers to decide what a fair thing is in their workplace and working together to get it."

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  Issue 21 contents

»	Aussies To Go For Gold in Foreign Uniforms?
»	Howard Warned: Time Ticking On Entitlements
»	Hotels Charge Triple Time - Now for the Workers
»	Air Attack - Qantas Telesales Under Fire
»	The Hills Are Alive - With the Sound of Pay Cuts
»	National Trust Places Green(back) Bans on Unions
»	Body Hire Campaign Hots Up
»	Attack of the Killer Skips Rocks City
»	A Holiday With a Social Consience
»	East Timor: Emergency Public Meeting Called

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Conference to Heal Rifts in the Labour Movement
»	Fabians Scour Poll Ashes
»	Holiday Confusion

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