
Issue No 84		16 February 2001

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News

Wentworth Twenty Emerge Victorious

By Andrew Casey

All Sydney Wentworth Hotel workers, who were retrenched illegally, will be back on the workplace roster from next Monday morning, following today's negotiations and an Industrial Relations Commission hearing.

"We have won an important first step this afternoon in the restoration of fairness to the workplace at the Wentworth Hotel, the LHMU Hotel Union National Secretary, Jeff Lawrence, said.

" Unfortunately fairness in the workplace is not something that ordinary working people can expect as of right under the Howard government's workplace laws.

" The Wentworth Hotel has now written to all 20 workers agreeing to fully return them to their jobs, rostering them for work from Monday morning.," Jeff Lawrence said.

"Rydges Pty Ltd, the company who currently employs the Wentworth Hotel staff, and AXA who own currently own the hotel, have agreed to discuss with the union and its members the future of all hotel staff and their job security - as well as alternatives to forced reductions.

" If reductions in staff are justified then they must take place through a fair and transparent process with at least a call for volunteer retrenchments before any compulsory retrenchments."

The LHMU Hotel Union has been running an intensive campaign to get the 20 workers restored to their jobs, with rallies and protests almost every day at the workplace.

On Wednesday the rally left in its trail a shattered glass door and a few demonstrators and security staff with minors cuts and abrasions. The safety glass which shattered, when about 200 demonstrators tried to hold a peaceful sit-in in the hotel foyer, made a lot of noise, and some dramatic media pictures.

" Commissioner Rafaelli of the AIRC agreed today to hear reports from all parties in the Wentworth Hotel dispute next week.

" These reports will outline the results of negotiations to vary the employment provisions of the contract between the current owners of the Wentworth Hotel and the new owners, a subsidiary of the David Burger Sydney property empire, City Freeholds Pty Ltd.

Returning decency to the workplace

" Fairness in the workplace is one that all working people have a right to expect," Jeff Lawrence said.

" Unfortunately one of the workplace rights which has been stolen from ordinary working people, by the Howard Government, is the right to automatic consultation BEFORE retrenchments take place.

" That right was entrenched in Australian law but the Howard Government abolished it.

"Decency demands its return - as the Wentworth Hotel dispute so graphically demonstrates. "

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  Issue 84 contents

Interview: Life After Wartime
After ten years representing the interests of the labour movement in Parliament, Jeff Shaw is back at the bar. And loving it.

Legal: Why the Freeloaders Should Pay
Michael Costa explains why service fees are not only fair - they are economically rational.

Organising: Young Activists Bask in Union Summer
Sydney students have spent three weeks of their summer holidays experiencing on-the-ground work with unions.

Unions: Things Are Looking Up On The Dock
After six years as a call centre worker, Marios Ellas has joined the union movement. Here's his first impressions.

History: Trades Hall ï¿½ The Royal Connection
Republic, who needs it when we have the Trades Hall decreed by Royal Imprimatur? So tug your forelock as work commences to restore the building.

International: Greetings from Hong Kong
Chan Wai-Keung from the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions outlined the challenges facing Hong Kong workers.

Politics: One Nation - The Old Labor Link
The resurgence in One Nation in the WA election has the pundits again reaching for the tea-leaves. But are they pouring from the wrong pot?

Review: Elect the Ambassador
Labor frontbencher Duncan Kerr unveils his vision for a new international democracy.

Satire: Man Buys Big Issue for the Articles
A Melbourne businessman claims his recent purchase of the "Big Issue" was due to his interest in the magazine's editorial content.

» Young Workers: The Wage Gypsies

» Union Members Tell Scabs: Sing for Your Supper

» Genetic Advances Spark New Privacy Issues

» Wentworth Twenty Emerge Victorious

» Racing Radio Makes Way for Workersï¿½ Voice

» Another Major Centre Takes Union Call

» Transport Passes Key Issue for Young Workers

» Shier Calls the Cops! - Fear and Loathing at the ABC

» BHP Contracts Battle Goes Back to the Coalface

» Newcastle Mill to be Union Project

» Government Must Lead on Casual Leave

» Della Ends Discrimination on Leave Entitlements

» Rural Safety Campaign Pays Off

» Mom Always Said ï¿½ Donï¿½t Break a Picket