Union to fight for casino workers' payout

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A union is looking at ways to put pressure on Christchurch Casino to up a redundancy package which it has slammed as "throwing workers on the scrap heap".

The casino, which has been closed since the February 22 Christchurch earthquake, opted to stop giving its workers full pay on April 2.

Management offered employees a redundancy deal of their accrued annual leave and entitlements adding up to four weeks' pay.

It was attacked by the Service and Food Workers (SFWU) union as unfair and inadequate - especially for the casino's long term employees.

Despite that, casino chief executive Brett Anderson said 108 employees had accepted the package.

Another 370 workers had opted to stay on the casino's books on unpaid leave and a few had not replied, he said.

He claimed many workers had used the redundancy as an opportunity to seek further training or to go overseas - where some had been recruited by other casinos.

"Many of them have said 'this is the momentum for me to do my OE'. To start up their own business. They've taken up other opportunities."

Mr Anderson ruled out offering long-term workers the 18=week redundancy payout offered by the casino's 50 per cent shareholder Sky City at its Auckland branch.

"That would be the wrong thing to do.

"We treat all our employees equally. At the moment they're all an employee of Christchurch.

"It's a business decision we've made and we've stuck with it."

Workers who had remained on unpaid leave would be the first to be given a job when the casino reopened, he said.

SFWU spokesman Len Richards said he was not giving up on getting a higher payout for the remaining casino staff.

One employee, who had been working at the casino for 15 years, told him she felt betrayed and devalued by the four week redundancy offer, he said.

He said he was looking at ways to "put pressure" on Mr Anderson and other management in coming weeks.

"Their response so far has been to basically just say no.

"The workers who are left deserve to see an improvement in how they're treated. I haven't given up hope. We're considering options about how to put pressure on the company."

Negotiating a better deal was part of the casino's responsibility to the Christchurch community, he said.

"How many hundreds of millions of dollars have they taken out of Christchurch? Well now it's payback time. I know there are shareholders tell them about the economic bottom line. But where do they get off throwing workers on the scrap heap?"

He advised workers who had remained on unpaid leave not to change their minds and accept redundancy before negotiations had been completed.

Prime Minister John Key earlier said casino management - including 50 per cent owner Sky City - were doing everything they could for workers.

They had kept them on full pay for six weeks at a cost of more than $400,000 a week.

"They are saying if you leave at any time and you take your annual leave and you eventually decide to leave, we will still give you four weeks redundancy.

"I think in defence of SkyCity they are doing everything they can."