Human Resources have been informed that SEA-UNITE members will be attending the AGM on Thursday 14 April 2005. To make sure you are released check with your Manager to see
which meeting you will be attending.
There are four meetings at the LDC (Learning & Development) across the road next to the Albion. They are at 10am-12noon; 12-2pm; 8pm-10pm; 10pm-midnight.
The meetings are paid for those members who are rostered on.
SEA-UNITE officers and the executive will be elected at these meetings.
All nominations will be open on Thursday 7 April and close on Wednesday 13 April 2005.
Nominations forms will be available at the notice board 7 – 13 April. The agenda will be posted on the SEA-Unite notice board on April 7. If you want anything on the agenda put it in our suggestion box at the notice board.
SEA-Unite currently has over 400 members at Sky City. We also have 300 members at Sky City Metro theatres.
Fees for SEA - Unite members at Sky City are a maximum of $4 a week. If you are a member of SEA - Unite deductions should be no more than that. Check your payslip and the deduction should show SEA-UNITE $4.00. Members who have resigned from SFWU need to check that they are not being deducted at a higher rate.
It has been agreed to hold fortnightly meetings with Management and SEA-UNITE delegates to deal with outstanding issues. Members are aware that unless authorised by the Company to stay on duty outside their normal working hours they will not be paid overtime. Housekeeping attendants are now enjoying their rostered breaks
Security members are now aware that they are entitled to 2x30 minutes and 2x15 in a 12-hour period. They too are enjoying their breaks
It was agreed that a development plan to provide training for all Security Staff who wish to become Ambassadors hadn’t been implemented. After discussions with Human Resources it was agreed the training would start in April 2005.
Alto food and beverage staff were told the bar was closing and they could reapply for positions in the new Platinum Room. After discussions it was agreed all staff would be retained or relocated to other F&B areas after consultation about their preferences.
A Wardrobe employee had her roster changed without consultation, the minimum requirement is 2 weeks notice. A SEA-UNITE delegate addressed this issue. Management apologised for the misunderstanding. The employee was happy with the outcome.
Gaming Machine attendants are being asked to work in Play. Play Hosts are paid at a higher rate. SEA- Unite members are happy to work in Play provided their pay rate is equivalent. (This matter is still pending)
Late Starts for Table Games remains an ongoing issue. We have differences and are continuing to discuss this issue with Human Resources.
Members in 24/7 are having meetings with Management to ensure they improve staffing levels and receive their breaks during their shift.
Matt McCarten, Unite Secretary writes a regular newspaper column for the Herald on Sunday on workers issues.
This is an extract from last week’s column.
The extraordinarily successful campaign by the nurses’ union in winning a national collective employment agreement with wage movements of up to 30% for nurses has galvanised the rest of the trade union movement.
After years of resigned acceptance workers and their trade unions are starting to stir.
At the nurse’s victory celebrations in Auckland last week, I spoke on behalf of the rest of the trade union movement congratulating the nurses on showing the rest of us the way forward. It seems the leadership of the union movement has passed from the factory cloth cap to the starched linen nurses’ cap.
The rest of unions are determined to catch up. At mass meetings in support of the 5% wage campaign led by the Engineers Union (EPMU), national secretary Andrew Little said “There is a new trade union movement emerging and it’s coming from members themselves”.
At an Auckland meeting of 1500 workers there was an outburst of cheering and clapping when one of their numbers suggested they march down Queen Street.
This mood is spreading. 32 other unions have formally backed the EPMU’s 5% campaign.
Health workers who belong to other unions have also called for the nurses wage rise to be passed on to them.
Christchurch and Whakatane council staff have voted for strike action against their low wages.
Even the academic staff in universities are holding stopwork meetings. The poor Auckland bus drivers trying to raise their families on less than $14 an hour have finally had enough too.
The inconvenience to all of us if the drivers stop driving will be huge. Aucklanders will be hacked off. But remember that these workers have been in negotiation for months and months and have got nowhere. What can you do?
Phone Stagecoach, ask for their boss and tell him to pay their workers a decent wage. If the big boss won’t take your call, get the boss’s email address and put it in writing. If we all do it we can help put pressure on Stagecoach to settle.
Paul Swain, the Minister of Labour and Helen Clark both claim they are neutral on pay negotiations and it’s not up to them to interfere. This isn’t good enough. In the widespread wage campaign this year, Labour will have to pick its side. That’s on the side of the nurses, the bus drivers. That’s on the side of the EPMU and the 5% campaign. In the 1951 waterfront lockout the Labour Party tried sitting on the fence and said they were “neither for nor against” the workers. That kept them out of power for years.
Someone should remind our Labour MPs that the Labour Party was formed by working people because they wanted a political movement to be on their side –not sitting on the fence.
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