Unite Union is declaring victory in its campaign to achieve a Living Wage in the Hotel sector.

“As of today, all the major employers we deal with, except one [SkyCity], are paying the current Living Wage to all their staff” says John Crocker, Unite Union National Secretary.

“This campaign started last year with us calling for all workers in the country’s MIQ facilities to be paid the Living Wage while they kept us safe” says Crocker. “With tremendous public support, the government did the right thing and extended the Living Wage to all workers in MIQ. The challenge this year has been to maintain that after the contracts wound up.”

“Through our members’ efforts and our collective bargaining we have achieved that, with IHG the latest to agree. While Unite represents workers at the major hotel employers, we believe this sets the standard rate for the industry. With a tight labour market, workers are free to move to many of the hotels that are paying the Living Wage or above.”

“The outlier is SkyCity Casino who operate two hotels and we are currently in negotiations with. Their latest offer is below the current Living Wage which we feel is unacceptable from a casino operator. The union will not be accepting a deal below the Living Wage and we are exploring our options including industrial action.”

“The struggle for liveable wages will continue though. The Living Wage is due to increase to $23.65 on the 1st of September and not all hotels will be at or above that rate. We hope most employers will continue to pay their workers a Living Wage and we will continue to negotiate that for them” says Crocker.

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