Hotel workers make history with new Fair Work Act

Today at 9 am on Day One of the Fair Work ACT luxury hotel workers made history. They became the first workers to lodge applications with Fair Work Australia under Australia’s new industrial relations laws. The Fair Work Act came into effect today.

Representatives of hotel workers were determined to waste no time in setting in train the process improving standards in their industry.

Applications on behalf of hotel workers were lodged in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as soon as Fair Work Australia offices opened for the first time this morning. Fair Work Australia is the new national workplace relations tribunal.

In Sydney after hotel workers lodged their applications at the counter, they moved on to the inaugural sitting of Fair Work Australia where one of the speakers was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Workers Ana Zubieta and Nadia Limontova were able to talk with Deputy Prime Minister about what the new laws mean to them.

A majority of workers in 15 luxury hotels in Australia have authorised the LHMU to negotiate a new union collective union on their behalf. Today is a milestone in their campaign for better jobs and for a better industry.