Star Casino's Brisbane workers to walk off job over pay proposal

Workers at the embattled Star Casino in Brisbane are set to walk off the job later today over a pay offer they say effectively amounts to a cut.

Transcript

00:00Well this is just the latest in an ongoing saga and the next crisis that the Star Entertainment

00:07Group are facing. Today we are expecting workers from the Star Brisbane Casino behind me to walk

00:13off the job for the first time. Now the United Workers Union have said that this is over a

00:19breakdown in pay negotiations. They say that Star have failed to come to the table with a reasonable

00:25pay offer and instead attempted to slash weekend penalty rates as well as not matching those

00:31redundancy conditions. It's something that union president Jo Schofield has said that despite

00:36over disaster and disaster over the last few years, particularly 18 months, she says the workers

00:43have been the ones who have kept the business afloat. Now the ABC reached out to the staff for

00:48comment. They've said in a statement that they have had diligent, measured and flexible negotiation

00:54talks with the union. They say that they have been long and drawn out and they say that they are

01:00disappointed with today's projected industrial action. But really this is just the latest in a

01:06string of events that's been ongoing for the entertainment group. Earlier this week there

01:10was talks of a potential deal collapse involving Star as well as two Hong Kong investment groups who

01:17had been looking to buy out and bail out the controversial Queens Wharf project also here in Brisbane.

01:24Now there was a termination notice that was issued earlier this week and that's expected to come

01:29into effect next Monday. So that would be effectively walking back on that deal and could put the star in

01:36quite a bit of financial turmoil. As for that predicted industrial action that's unfolding today,

01:41it is expected to kick off around 4pm local time. There is expected to be quite a bit of disruption

01:47and impact given that it's not only the afternoon but also Friday for many people that were sort of

01:53looking to kick off their weekend nice and early.