Goodbye WorkChoices, hello Fair Work

Date: 30 June 2009

Hotel workers employed in Australia's luxury hotels are making last-minute preparations to use Australia's new Fair Work Act which comes into effect tomorrow.

"Luxury hotel workers want to go down in history as the first workers to use Labor's new industrial relations law," says Louise Tarrant, National Secretary of LHMU - The hospitality union.

"Representatives of the workers will be waiting outside the offices of Labor's new Fair Work Australia before they open tomorrow morning.

"They are ready to lodge applications for majority support determinations under Section 236 of the Fair Work Act 2009 on behalf of workers from some of Australia's best-known luxury hotels.

"The workers have appointed the LHMU as their bargaining agent, so they can seek a collective agreement for hotel workers under the new Act.

"Hotel workers paid a high price for the Howard Government's unfair industrial relations laws. In stark contrast to the veneer of luxury of their workplaces, these workers are amongst the lowest-paid workers in Australia. Wages, job security, training, career paths, health and safety and rostering all urgently need to be addressed across the industry.

"They want to use the new laws to bargain for a higher industry standard so they can have fairer jobs and, ultimately, change their lives for the better.

"That's why they'll be outside Fair Work Australia offices first thing tomorrow morning," says Louise Tarrant.

Watch "The hard new bargain facing luxury hotel workers" broadcast on ABC TV's 7.30 Report last night.

For further information

Contact:	Louise Tarrant
Union:	LHMU National Secretary
WWW:	http://www.lhmu.org.au/

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