Unite Union members of Auckland's SkyCity walked off the job at 6pm Saturday, striking for better wages.
Staff could be seen protesting outside the casino on Victoria Street shouting slogans while waving placards and flags.
Union advocate Mike Treen says they've been negotiating with the company for almost a year in an effort to get a living wage. SkyCity agreed to the demand a year ago, but then withdrew because of the lockdowns, he said.
READ MORE: SkyCity reports $33.6m loss after Covid-hit year
"If they thought they could afford it at that time, they could still afford it in our view.
"The company may have lost a few million dollars last year but they have a virtual license to print money and have rewarded shareholders will several billion dollars over the last few decades.
"It’s only fair because they are the only large hotel employer in New Zealand that doesn’t pay the living wage."
He says the company's last offer was a pay increase of between 4-6% for around 90% of staff.
This was was well below inflation and "effectively a pay cut," he said.
The union's delegate, Shirley Yang, said staff who started at SkyCity 25 years ago, are today paid the same hourly rate as those just starting at the company.
“I have to say we are very disappointed and frustrated for the company for treating our long time service like new staff. I’ve worked for more than twenty years for this company. We contribute a lot. We’ve got more skills and more experience.
“At this time we’ve contributed a lot to the company. The company pay less rate than others who are in the same position. It’s ridiculous, that’s why we won’t accept it.
“We’ve already had negotiations, no result at all, so that’s why we’re here today.”
SkyCity said in a statement it was “disappointed” union members had decided to strike, as they were in the middle of negotiations and were scheduled to meet Thursday.
“We are focused on a positive outcome for all employees, which reflects the challenging economic conditions due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic including the closure of SkyCity Auckland for over 100 days,” a SkyCity spokesperson said.
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