McDonald’s faces $100m unpaid wages claim
McDonald’s has been hit with a class action seeking an estimated $100 million in back pay for around 25,000 workers over a “widespread and systematic” practice of unpaid work, the fast food workers union has alleged.
Josh Peak, SDA branch secretary told news.com.au the action follows complaints to the union from multiple McDonald’s staff members alleging they were forced to work before and after their rostered shifts for free.
In response, the union launched an investigation which ran for several months and involved over 2000 employees.
The allegations relate to managers and supervisors at McDonald’s being required “to work unpaid for 30 minutes before their rostered start conducting what is known as a ‘pre-shift check’ and an average of 30 minutes after their rostered shift finished to complete handover tasks,” the union said.
These tasks included safety and stock checks, preparing machinery, reviewing sales and calendars before shifts and counting and recording waste and balance tills after shifts.
The SDA claims about 25,000 managers and supervisors working across 1000 stores nationally were underpaid more than $200 a week.
The allegations date back years, with shift supervisors, department managers, assistant restaurant managers and restaurant managers who have worked at any McDonald’s store in Australia between December 2017 and now alleged to have been affected.
The union said managers who worked for the chain from December 2017 until now can join the class action. Picture: SDA.
Mr Peak told news.com.au that following its initial investigation, the union contacted McDonald’s Australia requesting that it convey to its store network the need to pay staff for all hours worked.
He added that the decision to move forward with the class action, which has been filed in the Federal Court, followed a lack of action by McDonald’s.
“It seemed to us that McDonald’s weren’t prepared to take action and back pay workers,” he said.
Along with back paying workers, the union is also seeking penalties be awarded against McDonald’s Australia and its operators.
Former McDonald’s shift supervisor and department manager Mikayla Martin-Coats alleges she was underpaid by the fast food giant.
Former McDonald’s shift supervisor and department manager Mikayla Martin-Coats, 25, said that “getting to work 30 minutes early was not a choice, it was an expectation”.
“If I didn’t get to work 30 minutes early, I would be called in for a meeting and receive a warning from my manager – it wasn’t worth risking getting there on time,” she added.
Ms Martin-Coats said that “pre and post shift work was always unpaid and never on my roster”.
“I know now that what my employer was doing was wrong, but I felt powerless to do anything about it.”
The union alleges the practice was a deliberate strategy by McDonald’s to bring the wage bill down.
In a statement, a McDonald’s Australia spokesperson said: “McDonald’s Australia takes its obligations under all applicable employment laws very seriously.”
“We value our people and the contributions they make to our restaurants every day.”
“We are committed to ensuring they receive all correct workplace entitlements and pay under the Fast Food Industry Award and the former enterprise agreement.”
SOURCE: NEWS.COM
