United Voice

GPT owns many hotels, including the Holiday Inn in Brisbane which the LHMU believes is rushing through a contract that takes away workers rights.

Like other shareholders on their way to the meeting Jack Tilburn took the time to take and read an LHMU leaflet about what’s been happening to hotel workers (view the leaflet). He made it very clear to the GPT Board and to shareholders that he is not impressed.

Later in the meeting LHMU Assistant National Secretary Troy Burton raised with the Board the determination of the radical fringe of industrial relations to take away workers' rights.

Troy Burton focussed on the GPT-owned Four Points hotel in Sydney, which he said is for sale and where workers have voted on and rejected a new contract. When Troy Burton asked why they were not accepting the workers' vote and were attempting to re-ballot the contract, a Company officer said he didn't know about this and would investigate.

The new contracts came up again when shareholder activist Stephen Mayne wondered whether the reason the AGM was not being held at a GPT-owned business was the possibility of unwelcome protests from workers.

Jack Tilburn is right. Being a bad boss is bad for business. As service-based industries hotels succeed or fail based on their staff.

GPT and other hotel owners and operators need to respect the voice of Australian voters and the vote of the Australian Parliament. The LHMU believes ideologically motivated industrial relations policy that attempts to cling to Workchoices will only damage the Company’s relationship with its workforce and may damage its reputation and therefore the value of shareholders’ investments in this industry.

Corporate Responsibility

In “Corporate Responsibility”, a document distributed at today’s AGM, GPT says:

“As an owner, manager and developer of Australian real estate, GPT’s commitment to corporate responsibility is to improve the social and ecological capital of the communities we touch."

A key element of social capital is, of course, fair pay and fair working conditions. It’s time for GPT to take its own literature seriously. The LHMU believes giving hotel workers a fair go is a good place to start.

Last night's "Lateline Business" report on the AGM began with coverage of the demonstration, including an interview with Troy Burton, LHMU Assistant National Secretary.

Andrew Robertson reported that shareholders were confronted by the company’s industrial relations policy at hotels owned by GPT.

Read the transcript or watch the report:

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/business/items/200905/s2580563.htm

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Photos:

Troy Burton, LHMU Assistant National Secretary puts the case for hotel workers in an interview with ABC TV's "Lateline Business" program

An attendee at the GPT AGM, where the issue of contracts and conditions for workers in GPT-owned hotels was discussed

LHMU demonstration at today’s GPT annual general meeting in Sydney