In the few months since SEA-Unite got started we have signed up close to 300 members. We now have members in Security, Table Games, House-keeping, Convention Centre, Action, Food and Beverage, FIT, Gaming Machines and Call Centre. Our delegates have been active in sorting out problems with management, protecting members during disciplinary situations, making sure pay rates are correct, acting on health and safety issues. Some of these are detailed on the back page. Help make SEA-Unite the biggest and strongest union at SkyCity.
Thank you for joining the SkyCity Employees Association (SEA) and UNITE Incorporated.
We are pleased that you have chosen to be part of SEA. As you know SkyCity staff recently set up SEA as an organisation for you improve your wages and conditions
The SEA Executive have contracted Unite to provide members of SEA with professional union services. Unite is a registered trade union and will now act for you in a legal capacity on any employment matter. When you became part of SEA you automatically become a Unite member and have union protection and support.
Even though you have joined SEA, by law, you remain on the terms of your current Employment Agreement. When it expires Unite will work with you and the rest of SEA members to negotiate you a new Collective Employment Agreement that recognises the skills and the effort required within your profession.
In the meantime, Unite senior organiser Mike Treen and our other union staff will work with you and the SEA Executive to improve conditions at SkyCity. Over the period we will also build our membership at SkyCity. We are very excited that almost 300 SkyCity staff have already joined.
SEA delegates will represent you in the workplace, but you will have the back-up services that only a professional trade union can provide. The SEA Executive has negotiated a discounted Unite fee for you. Our fee for SEA members is only $4 a week or 1% of your wage, whatever is less. SkyCity will deduct your fee from you each week.
SEA members get a free AIL accident insurance card. If you are already a member of AIL before you joined SEA, don’t worry, your current AIL membership remains valid.
Finally, we are very privileged to work with principled and dedicated SkyCity staff who have taken on SEA leadership roles on your behalf. We look forward to a long and beneficial relationship with you all.
Once again, thank you for choosing to join. We will do our very best on your behalf.
Matt McCarten is the head of the Unite Workers Union in Auckland. The SkyCity Employees Association Executive has asked Matt to be its secretary and he has been pleased to accept that challenge.
Matt has 12 years experience working in many roles in the hospitality and entertainment industries. In 1984 he was elected as president of the then Hotel Workers Union (the forerunner to the SFWU). At age 25 he became the youngest union leader in the country at that time.
In 1989, he moved to become a campaign organiser and in 1991 became the Director of the Alliance – a group that included the Green Party, Mana Motahake, New Labour, the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party. When Labour won government in 1999 he was a member of the six-person Coalition Government Management Committee that was chaired by the Prime Minister Helen Clark.
Matt is currently managing-director of the Campaign Company Limited. This company contracts to manage campaigns for politically worthwhile causes. During his 16 years as a campaign manager in electoral politics he is considered by other professionals and even his opponents as one of this country’s best strategists and has earned a fearsome reputation.
He believes that many political decisions affect New Zealand workers therefore it is important to elect people to public office who are supportive of workers.
Matt strongly believes that unions should not align themselves to any one political party. A union must always put their members’ needs first and therefore must be independent of any other organisation.
When Matt is not fighting for better conditions for workers he is a writer on working people’s issues. Well respected Random House published Matt’s autobiography “Rebel in the Ranks’ in 2002. He has his own weekly column in the ‘Herald on Sunday’ newspaper. His partner Dr Cathy Casey is an Auckland City Councillor.
We would like to welcome the return of SEA-Unite member Trent Birch (Security). Trent was dismissed from SKYCITY on December 2 after 5 years service. SEA-Unite considered there were problems with the dismissal on both procedural and substantive grounds and approached SKYCITY management to review the decision. The matter went to mediation on January 17. Details of the mediation are confidential but we can say we were happy with the outcome and Trent resumed normal duties on January 31. Trent is a popular member of staff (twice winner of "Quest for the Best") and his return will be celebrated by many.
Another member avoided termination when the SEA delegate was able to point to the fact that worker hadn’t received proper training.
Some of the Dual Rate staff were being paid a lower rate than newly hired staff. SEA acted, the problem was fixed and back pay paid.
Meetings have been held and others scheduled with management to deal with issues in Table Games, 24/7, Security, Housekeeping. A particular problem has been staff missing out on proper breaks.
SEA acted to get a worker his money back after he was forced to pay for a customer who did a runner.
SEA were are to reverse a refusal of extended leave a worker needed.
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