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All in a day’s work

11/10/2019

14 Comments

 
Picture“Latte Art” by Kenny Louie.
By Catherine Watson 

ANOTHER week, another report of a high-end city restaurant underpaying staff. It’s business as usual, with many of the underpaid staff on migrant visas or in other vulnerable positions.

But it would be a mistake to believe that country workers are in a better position than their city counterparts with wage theft common in the hospitality industry here as well.

A friend of mine worked at a local café. She started on $18 an hour, cash in hand. She worked five days a week, including Saturdays. After three months her pay went up to $20.

The hospitality award shows a minimum pay rate of $25 an hour for casuals. On Saturdays it’s $30 an hour. Employers are also required to pay 9% superannuation.

​My friend received no pay slips, no superannuation. She asked several times to “go on the books”. The café owner said yes but nothing changed.


I estimate these respectable business people stole several thousand dollars from her over the year. They stole similar amounts from every one of their workers.

By the time my friend left, after almost a year, there had been at least a 200 per cent turnover of staff. At least one made an anonymous complaint to the Fair Work Commission.
The café owners had already had to back pay a former employee at another café they ran.

Yet they continued to underpay.  It’s profitable, after all, and there are no penalties if they are caught, beyond repaying the employee the money they are owed.

I won’t name the café here, because I would find it hard to prove my tale in a court of law – there are no written records, after all – but I don’t go there and I tell other people to avoid it, and why.

I’m sure most of us would prefer to patronise businesses where staff are paid fairly, but how do we identify them?

How about making fair wages a marketing point? Let cafes and restaurants that are doing the right thing invite the relevant union in to audit their wage records and speak to staff. If everything is above board, the union issues the business with a sticker, like a Fair Trade sticker, that they can display on their window, giving customers the opportunity to show their support for businesses that treat their staff fairly.

My friend’s experience made me reflect on the decline in pay and working conditions for so many Australians over the past couple of decades.

As did This working life, a chilling account of working poor in the previous edition of the Post in which the writer, Kaz, describes a life of low pay and irregular hours. “There are thousands of workers just like me,” she noted.

I migrated to Australia in 1981, when the place was a worker’s paradise. I couldn’t believe the pay and conditions. And if you got sick of your job, you just wandered into the Commonwealth Employment Service and got another.

It seems to me that many older people, now retired from life-long secure jobs, have little understanding of how vulnerable many working people are today.
​
I wrote this for them. 
I worked hard
 
(WHINY VOICE)
“I worked hard for everything I’ve got.”
You hear it a lot.
Especially in letters to the editor
about bloody hopeless “young people”.
 
Don’t get me started.
Five minutes in a job.
And they chuck it in.
 
Why don’t they knuckle down
And get a mortgage
Like we did?
We worked hard.
And bought a house ...
Come to think of it,
Houses cost bugger all.
Especially down this way.
 
And did we really work so hard?
Probably not, unless you were a miner
or a plumber or a road worker.
Even then you got to lean on a shovel
and have a smoke
and a bit of a yack.
 
You had your rights.
The right not to be sacked
Unless you did something
Absolutely Bloody Stupid
(And even then you had to
Do it two more times
Before you got your final final warning)
The right to a living wage.
The right to sick pay.
The right to holiday pay.
 
Thank god for sickies and RDOs.
If you eked `em out
you could work four days a week
every week
for five days’ pay.
 
Just enough to get you through
to your four weeks off
with your 17 and a half per cent loading.
 
Remember that?
Someone explained it to me.
When I came to Australia
“Stands to reason.
When you’re on holiday
You need more money to spend.”
 
I couldn’t believe my ears.
The place was a workers’ paradise.
 
But that was then.
And this is now ...
Here’s the way it is today.
 
Forget the holiday pay loading.
Because you won’t get holiday pay.
 
Down this way the going rate
is $20 an hour.
That’s cash in hand.


​The boss doesn’t want to worry
about Workcover,
taxes, super
and all that guff. 

​“You’re better off
not paying tax,”
she tells the kid.
 
It sounds sensible …
Until you do the arithmetic
 
No holiday pay.
No penalty rates.
No casual loading.
No super.
No sick pay.
 
But who does the arithmetic?
 
Besides, he likes the work.
He’s busy, he’s learning heaps,
His workmates make him laugh.
 
For his $20 an hour
He’s on call six days a week
 
He’s rostered on to start at 10.
A text from the boss at 9.
“Make it noon.”
He’s meant to work till 5.
It’s a quiet day.
“You can go at 2.”
As if she’s doing him a favour.
 
Last week he worked 16 hours
And couldn’t pay the rent.
 
He tells the boss
“I need more hours.”
 
She looks annoyed.
The unspoken:
“There are plenty more
Where you came from.”
 
He needs a second job
But his hours are so
Unpredictable
How can he get another job?
 
One day he blows his stack.
He sends them a text
… Just before lunchtime
on their busiest day.
“Shove it up your arse.”
 
“Good riddance,” she replies
and thinks “Ungrateful little shit.
After everything I did for him.”
 
He fine tunes the resume
And drops it off around the place.
 
There are plenty more jobs.
 
Just like that one. 
14 Comments
mark robertson
11/10/2019 12:50:08 pm

As always , the editors moral compass is reading truly. Our magnanimous federal government is just as guilty as the greedy shop owners, as they continue to underpay newstart recipients, especially those of us too ill to hold down a job. Their incessent calls to make it even more difficult for their "employees" - drug testing , cashless welfare cards and rapacious private job agencies - put even the shonkiest cafe owner into the also-ran category.

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Kaz
11/10/2019 12:58:05 pm

Thankyou for this great poem. Speaking up for the kids is the best thing. I saw an article in todays abc feed extolling the virtues of house sitting as a great alternative to renting for young people, what it didnt cover is the fact that young people get older and that kind of activity gets tiring, is unpredictable, often short term and if your not regularly working doesnt allow you to save money because there are still bills to pay, food to buy, medical expenses and transport costs. As a solution to stable and affordable housing it is a joke which exploits individuals into being responsible for other peoples property and spits them out when things go wrong, when they are older and much poorer and when the home owners plans change on a whim. There is no substitute for stable work with good conditions and affordable housing availability for creating the foundations of a safe and stable community. Middle class aspirations and access to achieve safety of home and work are the most important safety mechanisms in civil society. Once removed its everyone for themselves, which suits exploiters now but, as well demonstrated in todays adveserial populations throughout USA and UK, France and Hong Kong, with entrenched poverty simmering on the outskirts of every town and within the families of those baby boomers who just made it out of poverty in the 80's - only to find their kids back in it now. Times churn on.

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Anne Bevis
11/10/2019 02:06:36 pm

I remember having my employment terminated because I was a married woman. Each era has it’s good and bad points. I started work on $6 a week. Fortunately I belonged to a Union and although we had to strike, things eventually improved. Look what the unions did for the miners! No one belongs to unions today.

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Liane
11/10/2019 02:09:34 pm

When Matt and I owned our little pub one of the hardest things we found was to find people who were prepared to go on the books. As we could only offer a few days a week - there was frankly no advantage for those on Newstart as for anything over (I think) $65 a week ate into their allowance. Yes we always paid according to the Award but goodness it was hard. Often times staff were paid more than Matt and myself. I am a strong supporter of what is fair - but if staff are in hospitality which means by its nature working on weekends and public holidays it is difficult to run a business when penalty rates impose such high hourly rates. Surely we are no longer a society that centres around 9 - 5 Monday to Friday.
And every time the government thinks it is a good idea to have a public holiday because a bunch of footballers parade in front of their fans must make every small business owner groan with the additional cost it will mean.
And with every change in government the issue of penalties is back on the table with so many grandfathering arrangements that it is hard to keep up.
I am not excusing the owners who do not pay the appropriate wage - they should - but perhaps people should now be looking at the broader picture - and that is - can small business in hospitality really afford penalty rates?

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Catherine Watson
12/10/2019 12:08:25 pm

Liane, you make some very good points. I know running a small business is a difficult balancing act. Two points: those businesses that don’t pay properly have a commercial advantage over those that pay according to the award.
Second, if everyone is paying the same then it comes down to supply and demand. Cafes and restaurants and even pubs might decide it’s not profitable to open at weekends and on public holidays. That increases the patronage at the places that do open.
I saw an interesting example of this in Cowes on grand final Sunday. A friend and I were in the main street looking for somewhere to have coffee at 3pm, when it seemed as if every café was just bringing in its signs and stacking the chairs. My friend said “That’s why I don’t go out for coffee in Cowes.”
Then we stumbled across a new specialty café doing a roaring trade. There must have been 50 people inside and spilling out onto the footpath. Despite the busyness, our coffees (good) were delivered within five minutes. Those staff were certainly earning their penalty rates, and then some!
Incidentally Brunettis, the big city café, charges a 10 per cent surcharge on public holidays. It doesn’t seem to affect their business.

Reply
Michael Nugent
13/10/2019 01:08:35 am

Fully agree that: "those businesses that don’t pay properly have a commercial advantage over those that pay according to the award" and "if everyone is paying the same then it comes down to supply and demand".

I would also add that paying cash under the counter deprives the community of tax revenue needed to provide the government services we all expect and deserve.

A Fair Wage sticker would be an excellent solution - if the unions can't/wont provide this, I wonder if there are trusted local/community organisations who could?

Kaz
11/10/2019 11:22:47 pm

The problem is that small business always looks at wages as the problem instead of lobbying government to provide reduced tax incentives to run business with under 10 staff members. Really big business doesnt pay a fair share of taxes here using the excuse of being big employers to justify tax evasion. Government could give small business a big break by providing insurence coverage, cut price electricity, or even cheap fuel deals like it has done in the agricultural sector, to assist small business in retaining staff. Really big global business get huge tax breaks, dot com companies like Amazon and Google pay no tax at all but market products and engage in business Australia wide. Small business owners could choose to support workers by making political remonstrations to local membets, State and Federal Government regarding how they can better support local business to better support local workers. Also, currently the Government (The Department of Employment) will pay 6 months of a long term unemployed persons full wage if they are given a job under the Employer Incentive Scheme. This would seems a pretty good incentived to hire someone who is on Youth Allowence or Newstart and give them a chance while easing some capital flow problems in a small business.

Reply
Sunny
15/10/2019 05:30:58 pm

I do not believe the Government grants to employ someone works, once their time is up they make an excuse, sack them and get someone else, so they end up with free staff.

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Geoff Ellis
12/10/2019 08:43:47 am

Make mine a double shot and keep the change.

I was privileged to hear the Author deliver "I Worked Hard" at the annual Mayday rally under the Whistle in Wonthaggi in 2018.

I suspect that things have gotten worse since then.

I agree that if cafes advertised the fact that they pay award (or above!) people would make the ethical choice. We do it for chickens (free range v craven) why not do it for our people who get up so early and work so hard so that we can socialize across the breakfast menu.

Also, exploitation locally is the tip of the iced coffee berg - there is child slavery at the other end of the supply chain.

https://medium.com/@MarinaTMartinez/coffee-slavery-destruction-and-shortage-c915d430390e


I look forward to hearing more people speak out about workplace exploitation and other issues (climate, refugees, discrimination, aged care et al) at the 2020 Mayday rally under the Whistle.

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Felicia Di Stefano
12/10/2019 05:09:33 pm

I think your 'fair trade sticker' is a fabulous idea Catherine. I and many people I know would certainly take notice. I believe that the decline of the working pay and conditions stem largely from degrading unions power over the years. Industrial relations favour the employer leading to the truth of your tragic poem. As you say the employer will not get punished and will repeat his transgression. I think that you need to propose your 'fair trade sticker' to the unions. Thank you for your article.

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Cr Geoff Ellis
13/10/2019 07:32:45 am

Hospitality Workers have formed a union called. Hospo Voice.

Members are building a powerful movement to fight back against wage theft, bullying and sexual harassment. They've already had some big wins and dodgy bosses are on the back foot.

Now is our time to stand together and turn the tables on this industry for good.


https://www.hospovoice.org.au

Want to know the truth about your local café?

Some venues do the right thing and look after their staff.

But there are others who are creeps and rip their workers off on the regular. And now you can do something about it.

Introducing FairPlate.org.au.

It’s a website created by hospitality workers where you can see what’s really happening under the table.

Don't be afraid to ask the people serving you if they are getting a fair deal. The consumer has all the power in this relationship.





Reply
Michael Nugent
17/10/2019 05:35:19 pm

Disappointing to see there are no venues in Wonthaggi or Inverloch on www.fairplate.org.au

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Geoff Ellis
17/10/2019 11:55:52 pm

True. We'll have to make some enquiries and follow them up with posts. Wouldn't be hard to audit an entire town over a weekend.

Frank W Schooneveldt
13/10/2019 09:16:47 am

This issue is just the tip of the iceberg. Today every for profit company is about maximising shareholder value regardless of its effects on the society they operate in,.
Consider this...The combined market capitalisation of Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon is greater than the GDP of most countries on earth. In fact there are only five countries that have a larger GDP. These companies are totally out of control. They are tax avoiders and because they don’t pay their fair share of tax we all need to pay more. The Governments around the world need to treat these companies the same as they treat any large corporation and hold them to account.
In my view every human being is entitled to a wage that covers all reasonable living costs....food,housing,medical and education. You might say that this is impossible, however it’s not if the regulators modify the tax systems so that there is a fairer distribution of wealth.
Cheers

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