Hotels crisis hits Sheraton

Date: 03 September 2008

Sydney hotel workers will demonstrate today outside the Sheraton on the Park Hotel to draw public attention to the crisis in Australia's luxury hotel industry which is threatening Australia's reputation as a tourist destination.

"Workers are abandoning the luxury hotel industry in unprecedented numbers," says Mark Boyd, NSW Branch Secretary of the LHMU the Hotel Workers' Union.

"With a shocking 48% per annum staff turnover rate hotels have the worst staff retention rates of any industry in Australia. The workers who remain are left to cope with spiralling and unreasonable workloads.

"Australian hotels are enjoying record occupancy levels. The financial dynamics of their industry is sound. For example, Sheraton operator Starwood had profits of US$412 million last year.

"Room rates are spiralling. Sharing just 1% of room rates would give hotel workers an extra $1 per hour.

"Hotel workers are demonstrating today to let the public know they are ready to work with hotels to tackle this labour crisis head on. Their better jobs, better hotels campaign has five solutions to fix this crisis.

The solutions are:

• Fair pay so poverty level wages stop forcing workers out of the industry

• National Training and career paths recognised by the whole industry

• Quality jobs with better safety, realistic workloads, employment stability, dignity, respect and skilled management.

• A strong and effective voice so workers can raise and resolve problems at work and in the industry

• Positive promotion of the industry with workers and industry leaders working together for the best interests of the whole industry.

Details are of the demonstration are

Where: Outside the Sheraton on the Park Hotel, 161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney

For further information

WWW:	http://www.betterjobsbetterhotels.com/

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