3 days ago
Crown Sydney workers walk off gaming floor in massive dispute over pay and conditions
Crown Sydney workers have taken industrial action for the second week in a row, walking off the gaming floor in a massive dispute over pay and conditions.
From 11am last Friday, general service attendants at the Barangaroo venue – who handle room make-up services and in-room deliveries – halted room service at the luxury hotel, demanding wage increases to match the cost of living in Australia's most expensive city.
From 6pm, Crown Casino employees including table games dealers will strike again, following last week's walkout that left the gaming floor deserted.
The United Workers Union says a general services attendant at Crown Sydney earns $25.92 an hour – less than $1 above the minimum wage – while servicing rooms booked by global stars such as Drake and Taylor Swift, which can fetch up to $38,900 a night.
Table games dealers, who run baccarat, roulette and blackjack tables for high-end players, are paid up to $12.46 an hour less than their Melbourne counterparts.
That shortfalls equates to around $24,000 a year for a full-time Sydney worker.
'Our workers are taking protected action to let Crown know they should be treating their workers with respect, not screwing them down to wages that are impossible to live on in Sydney,' Casinos Director Andrew Jones said.
'Crown's owner Blackstone just reported profits of $US2.8 billion – and that's for the half year – but they are telling our workers they can't afford to pay them any more.
'The facts remain that a general services attendant where Drake or Taylor Swift spends the night is being paid about $8 an hour less than their colleagues doing the same job at Crown Melbourne.
'This strike is about dignity, respect, and the right to build a decent life in this city.'
Mr Jones said members were also fighting plans to cut length-of-service increments from the classification structure, calling it a 'direct attack on experienced workers and their future pay.'
Crown Sydney's current offer is 3.25 per cent in the first year, followed by 3 per cent in each of the next two years.
According to the latest Department of Employment and Workplace Relations bargaining report, the March quarter private sector average stands at 3.9 per cent.
