| What: | 24-hour strike + protest + media event |
| Who: | UWU Director Godfrey Moase with striking Grill’d workers |
| Where: | Grill’d Flinders Lane |
| When: | 10am Saturday 28 June |
Young workers at Grill’d serve up the burgers many Aussies love, but there’s a hidden ingredient in every meal – low-pay exploitation. Today those workers are standing up for a fair go, leading a 24-hour strike to demand fair wages and better conditions.
After more than a year of failed negotiations, a group of predominantly young workers and United Workers Union members are taking a stand against a company that profits from keeping their pay artificially low.
The young workers at Grill’d face a web of exploitative practices designed to suppress their wages.
Those 18 and under are trapped in an outdated “junior rates” system that pays them less simply because of their age – despite facing the same rising costs of living as every other worker. United Workers Union is calling for the complete abolition of these outdated and discriminatory junior rates.
Many young workers are also classified as “Trainees” and paid below the legal minimum wage, between $12.26 and $22.06 while the company receives government funding for employing them.
These trainees are often supervised by “Team Leaders” – themselves young workers paid at the lowest rate despite their additional responsibilities. Team Leaders only receive a modest pay bump when supervising three or more staff, but Grill’d deliberately keeps shift numbers small to avoid triggering higher pay rates.
Even young salaried workers in their first management roles are seeing their pay fall below minimum Award rates over the life of workplace agreements. The company refuses to guarantee that no worker will fall below minimum wage levels.
Sick of not getting a fair go, workers have voted to take protected strike action, building on last year’s action to include more locations in Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia.
United Workers Union Director of Allied Industries Godfrey Moase said young workers are bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis while companies like Grill’d exploit their age to suppress wages.
Comment attributable to UWU Director of Allied Industries Godfrey Moase:
“The price of petrol, rent, food, education, medical costs – these hit young workers just as hard as anyone else. Junior rates are an outdated form of age discrimination that must be abolished immediately.
“These young workers are showing incredible courage in standing up to a company that’s built its business model on dodgy deals. Grill’d should be paying well above legal minimums, not finding loopholes to pay less.
“Young workers deserve the right to freely participate in their union and bargain collectively for fair pay. We’re calling on Grill’d to allow all workers to meet with their union representatives when they start work.
“Customers can support these young workers by choosing other burger options today and every time Grill’d workers are forced to strike just to survive.”
Comment attributable to Grill’d worker Shay – Grill’d Garden City:
“When starting my contract with Grill’d, an above industry pay to reflect the mandatory qualification was agreed. However, since the expiry of the last employment contract over a year ago, both mine and my fellow colleagues have had their pay fall below the industry standard and no longer matches inflation.
“Myself and many friends I have made working at Grill’d have had to pause our education, ignore our health and disability needs, and stress over being able to pay rent whilst living on a week to week pay check. Meanwhile, Grill’d has failed to renew a fair contract over the past year, and is still refusing bare minimum standards when bargaining for the new contract.
Comment attributable to Grill’d worker Sam – Grill’d Balaclava:
“Throughout the entire process Grill’d has sought only to offer the bare minimum. It seems like they have only dictated rather than negotiated. Rather than working with us to find a compromise, I feel like Grill’d has relied on rushing this agreement through, with a process that looks like engagement but feels like dismissal