the bolded bit is it in a nutshell.
the problem is, no company in those 2 industries let alone most start off by telling you your rights and what you actually deserve.
i’ve heard and seen similar stories as that, luckily he was able to be successful. previous employer was like that, when they wanted you gone they’d just make it unbearable for you to stay there.
they actually got taken to fair work a couple of times, and won, despite alot of dodgy activities they took part in.
ties back into what i said, they can’t monitor every business, so most if not all are willing to take the risk they won’t be caught, or won’t be punished.
They can write a “contract” which says they’ll pay in mud pies if they want - it doesn’t get close to the award, and it won’t stand a chance at fair work.
He should join the union, he’d get a substantial chunk of backpay if he can prove the 70-80 hour weeks.
You just can’t rely on people to do the right thing.
The other problem is union representation. If I’m not mistaken, Hospo Voice was only established recently, but prior to that what was there? What union do hospitality workers fall under? Whichever one it may be, dare I say it, but clearly they haven’t ever cared about the industry at all. Obviously nothing to be gained for them. It states in legislation that you can’t be sacked for attending a union protest, they need to start actually making themselves known, and act in favour of these people.
Just about all unions are corrupt anyway. Wasnt it a couple of years ago that people worked out that they would be worse of under the SDA signed agreement than the Fairwork one (prior to the sunday rate changes?)
I was under the SDA when I worked in retail for about 10 years and never ever once met a union rep.
Most of the other unions like CFMEU are just thugs and have a sook when jobs get sent overseas because their workers can’t afford to live on $42/hr plus loading plus penalties. They say they work for the down trodden but they actually only work for the guys who are already on the good wickets.
He’s in the union but he won’t do anything. I’ve been trying to get him to do something for years. He wants to stay working in the industry, and it’s a very small industry. Smaller than people think. Once they get to a certain level they all know each other or know of each other. Particularly in the large hotels.
I’m trying to work out why the Unions aren’t the main players on wage theft in fighting for individuals as compared to running it as a policy. There are quite a few lawyers newly entering the fray on class actions in the gig economy, with the aim of settlements as compared to adjudicated outcomes.
The ability of unions to do anything is limited because nobody joins unions anymore after decades of demonization by conservative politicians who have convinced people that “all unions are corrupt”, as exemplified by some posts in this thread.
Before questioning what the Union movement is doing, ask yourself what do I know about the state of the Unions and the power they wield. You will find that The Business Council of Australia ably supported by Liberal Governments have neutered the Union movement. The restrictions placed on Unions and Union Organisers are horrendous and too many to mention.
But most of their work is done in meetings, advocating for workers.
Mrs P found them absolutely invaluable when a former employer tried to stiff her (and all her colleagues) out of just under $20k entitlements. You just can’t trust anyone.
