Crown profits up 30 percent
Gaming and hospitality workers at Crown Melbourne have rejected a pay raise of 2.75 percent, and plan to “go public” with protests in the city’s Central Business District. The staff want at least 5 percent a year and new allowances of up to $3 an hour for all weekend work that falls between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., reported the Asia Gaming Brief.
The employee union, United Voice has been tussling with Crown management since April on the terms of the deal, and negotiations are ongoing, according to a Crown spokesman.
“Crown employees continue to receive higher pay and conditions than the tourism and hospitality industry” standard, the spokesman said. “Since 2013, Crown Melbourne has added more than 1000 new jobs and provided existing staff with valuable training and career development opportunities.”
United Voice countered by saying the extra pay for Friday and Saturday-night shifts would amount to $20, “about the price Crown charges for a cocktail.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that union officials are amassing “hundreds of personal stories” of casino workers who don’t get enough time to spend with their families and friends.
“Most Crown Melbourne staff work at least 40 or more weekends per year, and say this means they routinely miss out on birthdays, weddings and children’s milestones; even simple catch-ups with friends are often impossible,” the union said.
A union member said, “I missed multiple family parties and get-togethers. Times when my grandparents, my parents, my brothers and sisters and my daughter have been present but I haven’t. Family and moments like these are precious. I can’t get these occasions back.”
Crown workers including gaming and hospitality staff, security guards and maintenance workers planned to stage a public demonstration in Melbourne last week.
Under the current contract, food and beverage attendants earn $44,000 a year. A first-year table games dealer earns $47,000 a year, which increases to about $60,000 after five years, the Herald reported.
Union Secretary Jess Walsh spoke for the workers, citing Crown Melbourne’s $662 million in profits, an increase of 30 percent last year.
“Our members are proud of the world-class service they provide but feel it’s time that Crown management recognize the sacrifices they make working on weekends and their contribution to Crown’s success,” she said. “They are prepared to do whatever it takes to win the respect and recognition they deserve.”
