No wonder Wonderland workers unhappy

Date: 24 August 2001

MEDIA ALERT

NO WONDER WONDERLAND WORKERS UNHAPPY

Cleaners at Sydney's big theme park, Wonderland, are holding their first ever stoppage this Sunday to demand they all be treated equally.

The LHMU Cleaning Union members will stand outside the main gate on Sunday handing out balloons and stickers to tell patrons that Wonderland is not so wonderful to its employees.

" We want Wonderland to give cleaners a fair go.

" At the moment they are paying their older employees $14.08 an hour and the newer employees $15.61 an hour even though we're all doing the same work," Grace Micalleff, the LHMU Cleaners Union Wonderland delegate said.

Wonderland, set upon 219 hectares of parkland in Eastern Creek, is the largest theme park in the southern hemisphere.

Wonderland's majority owner is a Malaysian company who operate another theme park near Kuala Lumpur.

" The people of western Sydney will back our cause.

" We're asking the 7000 people who come through the gates on Sunday to fly our balloons - saying 'I support the Cleaners' - to show the boss they back the union and the workers.

" For six months we've been asking the company to pay all 21 cleaners at the same, higher, rate but for six months they have ignored our pleas.

" At first they tried to say the new cleaners were doing a different job from the older cleaners - but we have had a number of meetings with the boss and time after time we've got the evidence to show that their claims are just not right.

" They tried to employ cleaners at the lower rate but found that no one would accept the job - they were forced to advertise the jobs at a higher rate.

" We are now in the situation that 9 cleaners get paid at the $15.61 an hour higher rate and the 12 cleaners who have been working at Wonderland for a longer period are being paid $14.08 an hour.

" We all believe we should be earning the same money," Grace Micalleff said.

LHMU members and supporters, who can't make it to the Front Gate of Wonderland on Sunday are being asked to back the Wonderland workers - even through their computers.

Members and supporters can tell Wonderland's Front Desk now that they back the cleaners' cause.

E-mail: frontdesk@wonderland.com.au

Don't forget to send a copy of the e-mail to the LHMU organiser for Wonderland, Steve Klaassen.

E-mail: stevek@lhmu.org.au

The LHMU proudly represents more than 150,000 hard working women and men throughout Australia.

For further info:

Steve Klaassen, LHMU organiser, 0425 214 854; or

Grace Micalleff, LHMU Wonderland delegate, 0428 784 840

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