 The
Caulfield race meeting has come to a standstill with groundstaff electing to take the
dramatic step of going on strike prior to the running of race five.At the present moment the meeting is in limbo with groundstaff
currently involved in a meeting with union officials in front of the barriers.
Horses which were about to be loaded were returned to the
mounting yard and unsaddled.
In a statement issued the Melbourne Racing Club expressed its
disappointment in the decision by the groundstaff.
"We are extremely disappointed that the groundstaff
workers have chosen to take this unprotected and illegal course of action."
"Our Club has actively endeavoured to help resolve this
industry dispute over a period of time through the Industrial Relations Commission."
"The union unfortunately chose not to accept the
Commissioner's offer to make a recommendation in an attempt to reach a resolution, but
instead has elected to take the dramatic step of disrupting a racemeeting."
"The Melbourne Racing Club will be persuing legal action
to recover costs of any loss incurred as a result of this interruption and apologises to
the racing public for the inconvenience caused," the statement said.
STOP PRESS: The fifth race has been rescheduled for 4.23pm.
Race 6 - 4.57 pm
Race 7 - 5.33 pm
Race 8 - 6.10 pm
PIC - Quentin
Lang |
