Over the past six months, we have been campaigning against the introduction of paid car parking at both Southland Shopping Centre and The Glen. We have lobbied the shopping centre management – both Westfield and Vicinity — and SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer has written to both shopping centre managements on behalf of our members. We have taken up petitions, held protests and put up billboards.
This is a cost our members cannot afford and do not deserve. It is an unfair tax on workers.
We have received very good support from the public on this issue.
Unfortunately, shopping centre managements are not listening to workers or to the general public. Making money is all that seems to interest them.
The interests of the workers at the centres do not seem to matter to them.
Yet the workers are the ones who actually make the money for the retailers who pay the shopping centres.
Time for assistance
Given that shopping centre owners are ignoring the interest of the workers at shopping centres, we believe that the State Government needs to step in.
We will be asking the Government to place a requirement on shopping centres to provide free parking for workers.
If this does not affect you now, it may in the future.