SkyCity casino workers went on strike August 27. The Auckland, New Zealand workers are represented by Unite Union, which says it seeks “a living wage.” About 50 employees walked off the job.
The union says that the 4 percent to 6 percent pay raise that has been offered by management is considerably below inflation and so constitutes a pay cut.
Unite Union advocate Mike Treen declared, “This hotel employer is the only major one in the industry refusing to pay a living wage. It is also disgraceful that on the company’s 25th anniversary, staff who started on day one are paid the same hourly rate as those just starting at the company for the same job.”
Treen added, “We fired our shot and if we don’t get a response, we will have to fire more shots.”
The SkyCity Entertainment Group reported a $33.6 million loss in revenues so far for this year. The casino operations closed for 107 days during the pandemic lockdown.
Treen is not sympathetic to that argument. He said, “The company may have lost a few million dollars last year but they have a virtual license to print money and have rewarded shareholders with several billion dollars over the last few decades.”
Sky City released a statement about the strike, saying it was disappointing since they were amidst negotiations. “We would encourage them to return to negotiations for their members. We are focused on a positive outcome for all employees, which reflects the challenging economic conditions due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic including the closure of SkyCity Auckland for over 100 days,” said the statement.
