Accor Hotels/Unite Union Agree To Living Wage For All Staff

Unite Union has negotiated a new Collective Agreement with Accor Hotels which includes a new wage scale starting at the current Living Wage ($22.75).

Unite Union National Secretary John Crocker says “This is an excellent outcome from collective bargaining. It’s great that an industry leading employer like Accor has moved to the Living Wage rate.”

“Unite Union believes every worker should be on the Living Wage, but for essential workers or critical workers we think it’s unethical to do otherwise. A lot of Accor staff are former MIQ workers, who were looking at a pay cut once MIQ ended. Accor have done the right thing and maintained that rate, and further extended it to all their hotels.”

Several individual hotels have indicated they will continue paying staff their former MIQ rates but Accor is the first nationwide brand to do so. The wage increase will apply to all workers- not just those who were formerly MIQ. This represents the largest wage increases Hotel Workers have had in a very long time- a significant change for a low-wage industry.

“Accor follow Rydges (Auckland) in providing a Living Wage to former MIQ staff. With Unite in talks with serveral others interested in following suit this means that multiple MIQ providers would have maintained the Living Wage once normal hotel operations resume. Unite will keep campaigning and bargaining for the rest.”

“It is also great to start to see the Living Wage in hospitality. We are aiming for the Living Wage as part of a Fair Pay Agreement in hospitality next year and look forward to working with leading employers to achieve this” says Crocker.

Unite has been in talks with a number of other hotels- both currently and formerly MIQ facilities to maintain their MIQ Living Wage payrates and further announcements are likely in the near future.

Unite recommends consumers choose Living Wage accomodation when they travel.

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