Crown Perth, the other iconic casino of Crown Resorts in Australia, is to face expensive industrial action at the very beginning of the spring racing carnival after the majority of its employees who are union members followed suit to their colleagues from Crown Casino Melbourne and plan to start efficient strike action.
As revealed by Carolyn Smith, the secretary of United Voice WA, 96% of union members who currently work in Crown Perth backed strike action. This would be the first effective strike they participate in for the first time in ten years. The workers’ strikes would be up to 24 hours and would also include alcohol serving bans. They are set to significantly disrupt the daily operations and profit generated by the casino.
Considering the fact that the Spring Racing season is one of the busiest times of the year for Crown Perth, at which around 300,000 casino patrons are serviced on a daily basis, the strike action of the casino workers would be a major disruption to the operation of the venue. According to the secretary of the worker union, the losses which Crown Perth would suffer during the strike would outweigh the amount which United Voice WA’s members are asking to get in their desired wage increase.
Negotiations for a New Enterprise Bargaining Agreement Are Not Progressing
As mentioned above, the strike action in Crown Perth has been announced after the members of United Voice who work in Crown Casino Melbourne said they would walk off their jobs for two hours this Friday night. This would be the first one in a series of efficient strike actions that Crown card dealers, security guards, bar and restaurant employees and hotel workers plan to initiate over the new racing season.
The wage increase negotiations between the Australian gambling operator and its workers in two of the iconic Crown complexes have stalled recently. The people employed at Crown Casino Melbourne would now have their first strike in more than a decade and a half, leaving gaming rooms with no card dealers and restaurants and bars unattended. As explained by Ms Smith, Crown Perth’s casino customers should also expect disruptions in the normal operation of the complex, as the workers are now determined to defend their right to adequate payments. The secretary of United Voice WA also called for the Crown Perth not to purchase tickets to Crown events as they would probably get very disappointed by the major disturbances that are set to be caused by the casino employees’ strike action.
The workers at Crown Casino Melbourne are set to make a decision whether to continue with the strike on the following day but they have previously shared they are ready to stick to their intentions for efficient strike actions throughout the spring racing season.
As the gambling operator has previously explained, it has been working in collaboration with the workers union to reach a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA). The company also claims that it wants to make sure their employees are offered the chance for a flexible workplace, no matter if it comes to full-time or part-time workers.
- Author
Olivia Cole
