Oh heyyy all you current and ex-hospo workers (which has to be literally all of us at least that one time in uni, right?). Remember when your shit-head of a boss just kinda ‘forgot’ to pay you? Or that time they kept all your tips on the pretence of using them for the Christmas party that they never organised and you and your workmates ended up paying for anyway, which I don’t think is technically wage theft but was still pretty shitty (definitely not a personal anecdote)?
Well the state of Victoria is pretty pissed off about it all and actually just got a promise to make the whole damn practice criminal.
The promise by Premier Daniel Andrews to amend Victoria’s Crimes Act comes today, after Victorian hospitality workers made history earlier in the week by forming the first digital union, Hospo Voice. And they are mad. Which is fair seeing as a bunch of audits by Fair Work in 2016 found that almost 58% of cafes and restaurants and 39% of retail businesses were stealing wages from their workers.
This can mean anything from being paid for less hours then they worked, being denied their correct pay or not being given superannuation or paid leave when their job entitles them to it.
The campaign against this practice has been raging for a while, specifically calling out venues like Chin Chin, Northcote’s Barry Café and the respective restaurants of MasterChef judges George Calombaris and Shannon Bennett. But with proposed changes, employers will now face a maximum jail time of 10 years and up to $950k in fines. Plus, court fees for employees will be lowered, cases will be heard within 30 days and the whole process will become simpler.
“Making wage theft a crime is a game changer for young hospo workers. The choice will be clear – pay the legal minimum award, or face jail time,” sums up United Voice Victorian Secretary, Jess Walsh.
If you’ve had any problems with wage theft, you can find advice, discover what you may be owed and keep track of unpaid hours to help with any potential course cases over at Hospo Voice.
