The casino business is gaining more popularity worldwide. The number of people involved in any kind of gambling activity increases. Consequently, the number of casinos increases as the proper demand exists. One of the leaders of the gambling industry in Australia. It is the largest player in the markets and more than 75% of the population are involved in the gambling industry. Australia owns more than 10,000 pubs, clubs, and bars all over the country and remains one of the most demanded destinations for gamblers.
Despite Australia being itself very prominent with casinos all over the continents, the online gambling is prohibited via the regulatory authority, meaning that there are many physical locations, where people can try their luck or simply entertain themselves. One of the biggest casinos in Australia, with the relatively high revenue as well, is Crown Resort Casino. The Casino mainly operates in two states, in West Australia and Victoria. It is the largest single-site private-sector employer in both states, with 18,000 direct employees. Quite a big number isn’t it? Indeed, though, take into consideration the amount of the annual revenue the Casino has, which is around $2 billion.
The Strike
The recent allegations, that Crown Resort Casino faced have raised serious concerns about the existence of proper regulations from the higher authority as well as the legitimacy of the casino itself. More new issues have been escalating as the staff of the casino giant refuses to work and decided to strike.
Employees of the casino demand fair salary as well as work conditions, but so far have not received any valid argument or response from the management side. The workers have been on strike and promise to continue unless they receive proper attention and answer on their demands.
One of the employees of the casino has commented on the Friday’s strike, which will be the first precedent in 16 years. “If you come to Crown this Friday night, what you’ll see is workers standing up for themselves. We won’t back down until we win secure hours and fair pay for all workers,” worker Josephine Annink said.
The workers are standing for their rights of having a fair salary and proper working conditions.
The Wider Picture
If looking at this topic from a broader point of view, the average amount of working hours in Australia is 37.5 hours per week, which is 7.5 hours per day, with two non-working days during the week. The average salary that an average Australian get per hour is 44 AUD, which is approximately 31 USD. The demand from the employees’ side is very valid, as it is fair to have a salary proportional to the working hours.
The salary a dealer gets in a casino can reach up to 50$ on the weekends and Fridays, as those are the days when most visitors come to the casinos. Though, the average salary for the casino employees in any other position is from 8 to 20$, excluding the tips. The salary that is proposed by the casino does not have anything in common with the average salary in the country, it is much lower while having the same amount of working hours.
As the national secretary of the United Workers Union has stated, all of the employees deserve a fair share of the company’s success, as they all equally contribute to that exact success. It is very important to keep the employees motivated and interested in the work in order to maintain the good flow and efficiency of the working force.
So far the only response from the company’s side has been that the spokeswoman from the Crown Resort Casino said that they are currently “bargaining” with the union for a new agreement. If we consider this part as truth, then coming out of the attitude that the union has towards the workers, then the new agreement should be on its way.
One thing we know, for now, is that workers are not in the best conditions, as they have been working quite a lot and still are struggling with paying bills and taking second jobs to get by.
While having considered that the Crown is one of the biggest employers in Australia and indeed is one of the leading companies in the gambling industry not only in the country but across the globe, they have to care about their employees in order to maintain the status they have. With some disagreements going on concerning the casino’s illegal activities, it would not be nice to have any additional headaches, especially when the requirements from the other side are pretty much just!