Crown Melbourne workers vote to strike this weekend

The strike comes ahead of the busiest period for the casino.

Australia.- Thousands of workers at Crown Melbourne have voted to strike over demands for better wages and conditions. The action is set to run from Saturday (November 4), which is Victoria Derby Day, until Monday, the day before the Melbourne Cup. Stoppages are planned for four hours on Saturday evening, four hours on Sunday morning and four hours on Monday evening.

As reported by the Canberra Times, workers want a fair wage increase for each year of a new agreement, higher compensation for weekend and public holiday work, more equitable work schedules for a better work-life balance, and a service-based system for career advancement.

There has been a disagreement between the workers and management is the number of employees allowed to engage in industrial action. The United Workers Union initially stated that all 3,600 union members were authorised to strike. Crown initially said only 1,700 could strike but revised the number to 3,100.

Crown chief executive Mike Volkert acknowledged the workforce’s right to take protected industrial action and assured patrons that the strike would not disrupt operations. He said Crown Melbourne was committed to negotiating.

See also: VGCCC fines Crown Melbourne US$14.6m for breaching casino tax obligations