Workers at Star City Casino in Sydney have taken three rounds of strike action over their employers’ lousy pay offer.
Despite workers already rejecting the agreement when the Casino put it to the vote, management arrogantly told them to vote again on exactly the same deal—and got exactly the same answer.
“Their idea about a pay rise is at best disgusting. It’s the lowest offer they’ve had in the history of the place, they’re making money and spending $575 million on renovations and yet the people making that all possible they couldn’t give a toss about,” Charlie, a union delegate at the Casino, told Solidarity.
Workers have been offered a 2 per cent pay rise in the first year as part of 9 per cent over three years, and asked to take cuts to sick pay. Yet last quarter’s revenue at the Casino was up 11.6 per cent. In response to the union calling one-hour strikes at the start of each shift, Star City management has been locking striking workers out for the whole shift.
Management has used plenty of dirty tricks. An initial strike ballot was lost after Star City put the voting booth in a far corner of the Casino, where some workers did not have swipe card access.
“We will do whatever it takes to get what we deserve. What they’re offering is nowhere near what we want.” Charlie said.
Star City workers are set to strike again during Chinese New Year celebrations in February, one of the busiest times of the year at the Casino.
Casino workers need to keep up the pressure in support of their claim. The sellout by union officials at the Treasury Casino in Brisbane last year, another Tabcorp owned Casino, where the union dropped its claim for 5.5 per cent a year should be a warning. Stepping up the pressure through continuing the strike campaign can bring Star City to heel.
