
Issue No 64		28 July 2000

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News

Accor Makes 'Cheeky' Olympics Offer

By Andrew Casey

Negotiations for an Olympics bonus with Australia's largest hotel group, Accor, broke down this week with the company offering Hotel Union members an insulting figure which can only create turmoil in the hospitality industry, the Hotel Union Assistant Secretary, Mark Boyd said today.

Accor runs some of the signature Olympic hotels in this city - out at Homebush, at Darling Harbour, the Menzies hotel in the CBD and hotels at Brighton Beach and Wollongong - , and all they were prepared to offer their employees is an extra $2 per hour.

" This is an insulting figure in light of the deals already made in the hospitality sector such as that from the Starwood Hotels group which provides an equivalent of $7.25 an hour.

" When we told Accor management that we couldn't take the $2 an hour offer back to members they cheekily increased the offer to $3 an hour," Mark Boyd said.

The Hotel Union - the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union - has begun informing members of their employers cheeky offer and an industrial campaign has started to put more pressure onto management.

Accor hotels in Sydney include the All Seasons Premier Menzies, the Novotel Darling Harbour and the Novotel Homebush at the Olympics venue site.

" Accor claims that they made $666 million in profits - but it seems those profits are just not enough to give our members a decent wage rate.

" Accor's Asia Pacific manager, Clive Scott, tried to justify the low offer by telling us that offers from Starwood and Star City could not be applied to their company because Accor did not operate in the high end of the hospitality market and that Accord " wasn't making enough money".

" The fact that Accor's income is measured in the billions of dollars makes it hard to accept that they cannot afford an extra payment of about $550 per worker for the Olympics," Mark Boyd said.

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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.

» McMeanies Skimp on Olympics Pay

» Lawyers Pose as Students to Nail Workers

» Fiji Union Protests on Wednesday

» Casino Plumps for Penalty Rates

» AWUï¿½s Push For The Bush

» Inquiry Lifts Lid on "SweetShops on Wheels"

» Fair Traders Call for World Where People Matter

» Accor Makes 'Cheeky' Olympics Offer

» Sacking Threat Was ï¿½Group Therapyï¿½

» Doing It For The Love Of It

» Deadline to Vote in ARM Poll Approaches

» Grief Support for Workplace Tragedies

» Workers Invited to Mark Federation