In a throwback to Dickensian times, McDonald’s has been slapped with a colossal wage theft claim of at least $250 million in the Federal Court over alleged denial of paid breaks to workers.
Workers were allegedly denied 10-minute breaks that they were entitled to and its union is claiming compensation plus penalties on behalf of the workers.
South Australia branch secretary Josh Peak said McDonald’s workers were told if they want their paid break, they cannot get a drink or go to the toilet.
“It is really outrageous behaviour to be tricking young people into thinking they are not entitled to go the toilet if they utilised their paid entitlements,” Mr Peak said.
The SDA alleges workers at more than 1,000 McDonald’s sites were denied their uninterrupted 10-minute break, when working fours hours or more during a shift.
In two years of investigation, the union had heard more than 10,000 accounts from former and current employees, at McDonald’s stores across Australia.
The claim names 323 McDonald’s operators who allegedly denied paid rest breaks to workers over the past six years.
Isabelle, who worked at McDonald’s in the Adelaide CBD for almost five years, said she was not given her entitled 10-minute break, but instead was allowed drink breaks freely during shifts.
“There were a lot of managers that would get angry if you needed to go to the bathroom and have a drink break. They saw it as you being lazy and not actually doing what you need to do.”
Mr Peak said the same story was being repeated across the country.
What a pitiful lesson McDonalds is teaching young people about professionalism and the work ethic.