AMWU members in Newcastle are fighting their employer who says that they won’t be paid for a gazetted public holiday.

Workers at EDI Downer in Newcastle took last Friday 11 April off work for Newcastle Show Day which is an official public holiday in the region.

New South Wales AMWU organiser Steve Murphy said that the State Government made it clear that any worker in the region who was covered by a State or Federal Award or an agreement was entitled to take the day off and be paid.

“Unfortunately, some employers covered by the Metals Award took a different point of view and we had a battle on our hands to get agreement that their employees could take the day off with pay.

“We talked to a number of companies but EDI remained adamant that they were not going to recognise it as a public holiday.”

EDI’s next step was to go to the Industrial Relations Commission, where it was recommended that they talk with the union.

The next day the company was ‘unavailable for talks’ and no meeting took place. 

Workers at EDI Downer took the public holiday off as did many other workers in the region. Now the company is maintaining they will not be paid for the day.

“When Newcastle has its Show, these AMWU members want to be able to attend with their families and friends, just like everyone else.”

The AMWU has applied to the Industrial Relations Commission to ensure that the workers are paid for the day and that the issue is resolved for the future.

“We don’t want to do this all over again next year. Employers have to understand that they can’t just refuse to pay a public holiday. We won’t tolerate it.”