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While most clubs around NSW have abandoned the community and left workers on the scrap heap, two clubs in the Northern Rivers Region have proven that a collaborative approach is of mutual benefit.

Cherry Street Bowling Club, Ballina and Seagulls Club, Tweed Heads have been working with the United Workers Union and local community groups to ensure workers are able to maintain income while performing charitable work.

Cherry Street has kept its workers engaged through cooking meals to support the Ballina Hot Meal Centre 7-days-a week, which are then distributed to vulnerable members in the community, inspired by this action Seagulls has started a similar program by preparing meals for The Family Centre and supporting the Fred’s Place community sleep out.

Both clubs have committed to topping up wages of staff where the disaster relief payment does not cover existing shifts, or in the instances workers are not eligible for the payment.

United Workers Union Clubs Organiser Meegan Edwards commended the two clubs for doing the right thing and urged all clubs to follow suit.

“Cherry Street and Seagulls are unique in their efforts to actually look after the community during the biggest challenge our State has faced in a long time, Edwards said.

“Clubs are very profitable entities, and the vast majority are breaching their social contract in refusing to keep workers engaged or providing extra assistance in addition to the bare minimum being provided by the Government.

“The Ballina RSL is one such club of the hundreds throughout the State not doing the right thing by its workers and the community.

“I recommend that the Ballina RSL and other clubs which fall within the Clubs NSW umbrella take a leaf out of the Cherry Street and Seagulls book.”

The United Workers Union is also calling on the NSW Government to better collaborate with the union in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The union wrote to the Government three weeks’ ago calling for immediate crisis meetings to be convened between unions, employers and State Government representatives.

ENDS Media Contact: 1300 898 633, [email protected]