Industrial action has gone ahead at Crown Melbourne, with more than 750 workers participating in two walkouts.
After bargaining talks on 29 and 30 December failed, Andrew Jones, Director at the United Workers Union (UWU), revealed to Global Gaming Insider that over 500 workers did indeed take part in the first planned stoppage, from 10pm on New Year's Eve to 2am on New Year's Day.
The second strike took place between 10am on 1 January to 2pm the same day, with over 250 participants involved on that occasion.
On what the UWU says is the "busiest night of the year," as few as 48 tables were reportedly functioning out of the venue's licensed capacity of 540.
Delays and disruption extended to food and drink services as well as cashier, hotel and security operations.
The dispute surrounds plans to introduce a two-tier wage system which would see new hires paid less than those already performing the same role.
Those recruited by Crown from 1 July 2026, would be paid AU$28.84 ($19.32) an hour, compared to existing employees on AU$34.22.
Crown Melbourne workers at the UWU voted to reject the proposal by an 89% majority, with talks having been ongoing since May.
These negotiations are now set to continue in January, with more industrial action seeming a distinct possibility unless there is a breakthrough.
According to Jones, in the last-minute talks, "Crown refused to engage on its wage proposal or to meaningfully discuss the two-tier wage structure."
The UWU will now wait and see if the severe disruption over the holiday period has caused Crown Melbourne officials to rethink.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission fined Crown Melbourne AU$100,000 (US$67,000) in November after an excluded person was admitted and gambled for 15 hours
