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<\/p>\nWorkers at Melbourne’s Crown casino will walk off the job during New Year’s Eve celebrations tonight to protest against pay conditions.<\/p>\n
The strike action is the first ever by workers at the casino and follows their rejection of a Crown proposal they say will cut pay for new workers by between $10,000 and $32,000 per year and create a “two-tier” wage system.<\/p>\n
The United Workers Union (UWU) said about 500 casino workers, including croupiers, bar staff and security personnel, would stop work from 10pm to 2am.<\/p>\n
“They’re doing this not because they want to but because they’ve been left with no other alternative by their company,” UWU casinos director Andrew Jones said.<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, Crown have turned tonight into a flashpoint.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Andrew Jones speaking to media in Melbourne on Wednesday. (ABC News: Andi Yu)<\/p>\n
The UWU said that in mid-December, 87 per cent of workers rejected Crown’s proposal, which would see future hires paid between 16 and 32 per cent less than existing workers for identical jobs.<\/p>\n
That would mean new hires would be paid $28.84 an hour after July 1, while a continuing worker on the same level would be paid $34.22 an hour, the UWU said.<\/p>\n
“It’s the same job, but for much, much less pay, and that poses a risk to every worker who currently works at Crown for their job security,” Mr Jones said.<\/p>\n
“[Crown’s proposal] is a race-to-the-bottom employment model, which will hit casual and part time workers the hardest, seeing them on bare minimum hours or no hours at all as new hires are preferred who are much, much cheaper.”<\/p>\n
He said the strike action would cause significant disruptions to service and potentially the closure of some parts of the casino.<\/p>\n
Temporary workers to fill gap<\/p>\n
Crown said it would hire a temporary workforce to cover the shortfall and planned on minimising any disruption.<\/p>\n
A Crown Melbourne spokesperson said the company was “disappointed” by the proposed strike.<\/p>\n
“Let’s be clear \u2014 the people most impacted by this strike won’t be Crown Management, it will be Victorian families and children who are trying to enjoy a free and fun night out on New Year’s Eve,” they said.<\/p>\n