NSW: Union, hotel dispute redundacy figure for sacked workers

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NSW: Union, hotel dispute redundacy figure for sacked workers

By Peter Williams

SYDNEY, Aug 30 AAP - A hotel workers' union today dismissed management claims thatsacked Hilton Sydney staff would receive up to six months' salary in entitlements.

The Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (LHMU) is challenging the hotel'sredundancy offer in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

The landmark city hotel will close for a $400 million redevelopment on November 29,leaving 467 employees out of work.

Hotel manager Andrew Flack today said the management's calculations showed "typicallongstanding staff with 20 years' service - their combined entitlements represent sixmonths' equivalent net pay".

But the union said fulltime employees would only receive eight weeks' retrenchmentpay, while casuals got nothing.

"That six-month dollar figure floated includes holiday pay, long-service leave andother entitlements which our members would receive even if the Hilton was not shuttingits doors," LHMU assistant NSW secretary Mark Boyd said today.

Hilton management told reporters the hotel's early 2004 reopening was too far off toguarantee re-employment of the sacked workers.

"The new hotel opens two years from now. It's not practical to anticipate the economicenvironment and market in two years time," Mr Flack said.

Instead, he said, the Hilton was operating a job centre for staff on its premises andhad received employment offers from many hotels in Australia and overseas, including fromAthens ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games.

However, Mr Boyd said: "Telling people about jobs available in Athens, Greece, is notmuch good for a low-waged worker with a family in the outer suburbs in Sydney."

ACTU president Sharan Burrow today said she was disappointed the federal governmentopposed its test case to raise redundancy entitlements for federal award workers fromeight weeks to 16.

"Statistics show the average period of unemployment after redundancy is 22 weeks, andworkers aged over 45 ... face even longer without a job," Ms Burrow said.

The Hilton today also announced details of the 27-year-old hotel's redevelopment whichwill be carried out by Leighton Contractors.

The work will produce a redesigned 577-room hotel and convention centre and an officeblock with 15,000 square metres of space.

AAP pw/arb/ph/de

KEYWORD: HILTON NIGHTLEAD