Crown Casino faces New Year’s Eve ‘chaos’ as hundreds of workers strike
A major strike is planned at Melbourne’s Crown Casino during peak hours on New Year’s Eve as hundreds of workers protest pay conditions.
About 500 workers, including casino employees, croupiers, bar staff and security, are expected to walk off the job between 10pm and 2am.
The strike was triggered by a new pay system for Melbourne casino staff, the first of its kind and proposed by Crown, which would introduce a two-pay system.
A spokesman for the United Workers Union said those spending New Year’s Eve at the casino were “set to be thrown into chaos after Crown failed to reach an agreement with its workforce”.
Crown’s proposed two-tier wage system would stipulate that level-one casino workers newly hired after July 1 would pay $28.84 per hour, while continuing workers at the same level would pay about $6 more per hour, or $34.22, according to the UWU.
“That means more than $10,600 less per year for the same job. At higher levels the pay cut is up to 32 percent,” said UWU casino manager Andrew Jones.
“If you’re coming to the casino tonight, you should expect delays in service. You should expect disruption.”
Crown said on Wednesday evening they would hire a temporary workforce to support the casino and were “disappointed” by the industrial action.
Its employees are currently paid 40 per cent above industry standards, with some earning as much as 60 per cent above the industry rate, a spokesman said.
“These rates will continue to increase under the Crown’s latest proposal and we are committed to reaching a resolution,” they said.
The UWU said there have been numerous meetings with Crown management since May.
“The ball is definitely in Crown’s court,” Mr Jones said.
“There is no need for this dispute to escalate if the company returns to the table with a fair offer.”
