United Voice News
Union movement supports hotel workers
Hundreds of unionists from across Australia took a break from the ACTU Congress in Brisbane today to join local workers in a demonstration supporting workers at Sofitel Brisbane.
Over 60% of workers at the hotel have signed bargaining cards requesting a union collective agreement.
Despite this, on Friday hotel management plans to ballot workers for a three year WorkChoices-style agreement which will lock Sofitel workers out of Australia's new Fair Work laws.
The Sofitel, like other luxury hotels around Australia, seems determined not to use the new IR laws, despite the fact that Australian voters overwhelmingly rejected WorkChoices.
Australia's union leaders and Brisbane workers marched from Congress to the Sofitel to support low paid, mostly casual hotel workers and to support workers' rights to fair workplace agreements and collective bargaining.
ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence spoke on behalf of fellow marchers and Australia's trade union movement.
"Workers at this hotel have expressed their choice and they want a collective agreement," he said.
" We, on behalf of the ACTU Congres and all the unions are in support of them. From the 1st of July, they've got a right to negotiate a collective agreement," said Jeff Lawrence.
