UNITE members at the Carlton Club in Melbourne’s CBD have won secure jobs for every single worker in the establishment. After months of anti-union bullying the persistence of the bartenders has paid off.

Every single worker at the Carlton Club – including the bussies – has been moved from casual to part-time and will now receive the proper penalty rates. The Carlton Club workers have gone from earning below the minimum base rate a few months ago to receiving sick pay, annual leave and all the benefits of secure work. In a time of unprecedented casualisation, this is an incredible achievement.

The Carlton ran an incredible misinformation campaign, bullying workers and telling them that they would make less money on Award rates and that Award rates would somehow also bankrupt the business. Union members were harassed at work and banned from the premises.

But management was clearly spooked. They had not anticipated union activity from inner-city bartenders, and it is this continued pressure that has won these improvements.

UNITE congratulates its members at the Carlton, and encourages all non-members who are reaping the rewards of others’ hard work to join UNITE. Secure work is hard to find in hospitality these days; this win proves that organising in traditionally unorganised industries pays off!

Follow the example of the Carlton Club bartenders and fight against the recent attacks on wages and conditions in hospitality. Join UNITE today and fight for secure work and proper penalty rates!

Listen to the 3CR Stick Together interview with a UNITE member about the dispute here.