How to stop SkyCity ripping off the wage subsidy system

By
Mike Treen
-
14
2901

SkyCity is ripping off the wage subsidy system.

The subsidy was created for employers to use as an alternative to laying off staff.
SkyCity has manipulated it to make sure they can lay off as many staff as possible while getting the maximum subsidy possible.
The first thing they did was apply for the wage subsidy only for the waged staff and excluded the salaried staff. 200 salaried staff were immediately laid off without a proper process.
The company then announced it was laying off 700 waged staff as well as soon as the initial wage subsidy for 12 weeks ran out. They told all the staff they would not apply for the additional wage subsidy burn needed to simply bite the bullet and lay off staff.
After getting rid of the 900 staff in total they have now applied for the wage subsidy for the remaining staff anyway.
This company has spent decades preying on the weak and vulnerable in society and promoting addictions to make money.
A gambling licence is a legalised form of printing money since a casino ultimately can’t lose.
The executives and shareholders have rewarded themselves with profits in the billions over the two decades. Shareholder wealth has been boosted in recent years with share buybacks that weaken a company’s balance sheet while adding to the pockets of the top one percent in society.
It doesn’t make sense to me for the government to give any private company money unless they give the government a significant shareholding in return so that the government will then benefit from any recovery as a shareholder like the other shareholders will do. If these companies aren’t willing to do that then they should get nothing.

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Sky City aren’t ripping off the subsidy scheme. Ripping off implies that they are somehow doing something the scheme doesn’t allow.
    Whilst Sky City are assuredly a bunch of leeches, the blame for this belongs at the government’s feet for putting in place such a piss poor scheme that could be exploited in this manner.

      • Yes we are still to hear Nationals response other than woof woof bark bark.
        Oh that’s right National would have given business $10,000 each. Woopdie fuckin do!
        That’s what piss poor really looks like.

        So the governments response was just fine, it was the beneficiaries( business) which tried to pillage.

        • Sorry bert but stating that National would have done a worse job is just barking at cars itself.
          My statement is 100% factually correct. The only reason that Sky City was able to access this money is because of the way the scheme was set up.
          Whinging about National doesn’t change this and only makes you appear a little pathetic.

          Supporting Labour even when it fucks up doesn’t help Labour. It only reinforces their stupid mistakes (and there have been plenty).
          Right now you are looking as sycophantic as those National supporters who think that Muller is off to a great start.

          • At least you aren’t sycophantic to believe in National , you truly would be pathetic all though I have my doubts with you.

    • Sky city are operating on line through a off ashore bank and paying no tax I no someone that GAMBLED over 20k in lock down level4

  2. Hey Mike..you do know that John Key isn’t the Prime Minister in charge of all this Covid corporate welfare?

  3. Depressing but now just the morally repugnant way our corporations are encouraged to act by government policy that allows it and not taking them to court over their poor practises.

    Also now that we don’t get the convention centre anymore can we remove the gambling incentives they received under John Key?

  6. Sky city are operating on line through a off ashore bank and paying no tax I no someone that GAMBLED over 20k in lock down level4

  7. If it was illegal then they would have been prosecuted. Every business has a right to survive and unfortunately that means laying off some staff when times are hard. By law they had to pass the subsidy on to staff so if anything they have helped those staff that were layed off by giving them more than labour would have if they had lined up at winz earlier. Would you rather they went under and lay off everyone?

  8. “My statement is 100% factually correct”

    Fuck, you are a legend in your own undies Jays. Where’s your evidence? Your narcissistic comments render you totally pathetic.
    The scheme was set up as it was intended, to support business and employees as an opportunity to get through the tough times. The scheme was fine for the honest businessmen.
    Go back and read the column slowly, take in the points raised and give yourself an uppercut, then go and vote for the Jays Ego party.

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