
Issue No 64		28 July 2000

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News

McMeanies Skimp on Olympics Pay

Fast food chain McDonalds is paying its Olympics Game workforce more than $5.00 per hour less than other Sydney 2000 workers after demanding they be exempt from a pay deal covering the event.

Labor Council's Unions 2000 coordinator Chris Christodouolou says some McDonalds workers will be up to 40 per cent worse off than other workers, after the global giant used its status as an Olympics sponsor to avoid the award.

Christodoulou says McDonalds is insisting on keeping workers on junior rates of pay and is not paying the benchmark attendance bonus of $1.50 per hour.

This means a McDonalds workers aged over 21 will receive $13.89 as opposed to the $16.60 rate for all other Games workers over the age of 18. And for younger workers the disparity is greater. If you work for McDonalds you'll receive just $9.72 per hour if you are 18, $11.11 if you are 19 and $12.49 if you are 20.

Likewise, younger workers with Maccas will be penalized receiving just $5.55 per hour at 15 years of age, $6.94 at 16 and $8.33 at 17. All other workers under 18 at the Games are entitled to a rate of $9.80 per hour.

Christodoulou says the pay discrepancies highlights difference that the unions have made in setting minimum rates and conditions for Games' workers as distinct from those employers who go it alone.

"We think it's unfortunate that a Games sponsor can be allowed to stand outside the Olympics award. It's as if they've been able to pay their way out of being a responsible employer," he says.

"When people buy their food at the Olympics, they should remember who the McMeanies are!"

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Issue 64 contents

Interview: Greg Sword Unsheathed
The NUW national secretary is set to be endorsed as ALP Federal president next week. He talks about the relationship between the two wings of the labour movement.

Unions: Phone Rage, Headaches and Stress
A comprehensive survey of the call centre industry conducted by the ASU has revealed an industry workplace culture dominated by excessive monitoring and stress.

Economics: And the Winner Is .... Sydney?
Austrade chief economist Tim Harcourt looks at the export impact of the Sydney Olympics and asks if we'll win gold.

International: Western Sahara: Referendum Or War?
A June UN referendum in Western Sahara could have provided the people of Western Sahara a chance to exercise their right to self-determination and independence. It didn't.

History: The Union's Roots in Song
We look at some of the songs that kept working people going through their darkest hours.

Media: Unchaining the ABC
The ALP needs to rethink our public institutions to determine how they might better deliver the ends for which they were originally established.

Environment: Motorways Fail the Pollie Test
Our daily grind of congested roads, polluted air, and frustrated motorists is putting all and sundry to the test, and not least Liberal and Labor politicians.

Satire: Murdoch Launches Bid for Under-9s Netball Team
Sydney's lucrative junior league netball broadcasting market has been shaken by a bid by one of the world's most predatory entrepreneurs, Rupert Murdoch, to secure ownership of the most successful team in the league.

Review: Espionage a Trois
The Whitlams' brass section his teamed with some of the hippest cats in Sydney to make the sort of music you'll want to shoot baddies to.

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» Doing It For The Love Of It

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» Grief Support for Workplace Tragedies

» Workers Invited to Mark Federation