| What: | Grill’d Flinders Lane Strike Media Conference |
| Where: | Outside of Grill’d, 83 Flinders Lane, Melbourne |
| When: | 12.15pm Saturday 19 October 2024 |
| Who: | UWU officials and Grill’d union members |
| Logistics Contact: | Grace Dowling 0435 159 265 |
Young workers from burger chain Grill’d are walking-off the job today in protest of poverty wages and poor treatment.
Around 20 United Workers Union (UWU) members from the Flinders Lane store will take protected strike action for 12 hours from midday in an effort to uplift all Grill’d workers across Australia in what is believed to be Australia’s first fast-food strike.
Grill’d is notoriously famous for forcing its workers onto traineeships, which allows the multi-million dollar chain to pay some of its workers as little as $14.90-an-hour, through a program known as ‘hamburger university’ which is subsidised by taxpayers to the tune of $28-million, according to a 2023 Australian Financial Review article.
The majority of workers from the Flinders Lane store are between 18 and 25-years-old and their struggle with dismally low wages is compounded during the current cost-of-living crisis.
Some union members said they had gone without meals in order to keep up with skyrocketing Melbourne rents.
UWU National Secretary Tim Kennedy said the workers from the Flinders Lane store should be commended for taking action to improve the wages and conditions for Grill’d workers across the country.
“Grill’d have been exploiting a loophole in workplace laws to pay people well below what’s needed to get by, including by forcing people onto traineeships and relying on the disparity that’s created with junior rates,” Mr Kennedy said.
“We know young people are bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis and in some cases are forgoing necessities. This shouldn’t be happening to anyone in Australian society but particularly not when people are working.”
Grill’d is one of the employers using junior rates to pay people different wages despite doing the same job even when they are over 18. This week the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), ramped up its campaign to have junior rates scrapped.
“Despite being paid discounted pay rates, young Australians don’t pay youth rent or youth grocery bills. Their jobs are more likely to be insecure, and they face higher rates of bullying and harassment at work,” ACTU President Michele O’Neil said.
“Young workers need better pay, more secure jobs and safer work. Unions are standing up for young workers.”
UWU member Mitch from Grill’d Flinders Lane said under the company’s proposed agreement, 18-year-old trainees would work for as little as $17.00 per hour, with no weekend penalties.
“The working conditions imposed by Grill’d on its staff would not pass muster in any other industry,” he said.
“My crew and I reckon that no worker in this country should live in poverty, and we’ll do everything we can to prevent it.”
Another member and Grill’d worker Lara said, “When I joined Grill’d I was forcefully placed on a traineeship and was paid $14.95 per hour. I already had years of experience in the industry, so I was supervising and training other staff without any increase in pay.”
“Now that I am a classified as a Team Leader, I still get paid less than some of the people I’m supervising just because of my age.”
UWU members and supporters will rally outside of the Flinders Lane store and will encourage potential Grill’d patrons to support them in the campaign by eating elsewhere on Saturday.
ENDS
UWU Media Contact: 1300 898 633, [email protected]