In the latest development in the 7-Eleven wage theft scandal, a former franchisee has been found to have underpaid eight workers $19,937, including one worker who was underpaid a staggering $14,000 over two years.
Wage theft has become a business model because even employers who are caught are only required to pay back the stolen wages.
Quotes attributable to Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus:
“There can be no denying that wage theft is a systemic issue. We know that the rules are broken for workers when they do not even receive the amount of pay they are legally entitled to.”
“Unions have been prevented from examining pay records to ensure that employers are obeying the law.”
“Too many workers are in insecure work and can’t risk standing up for what they are legally owed.”
“The process that workers have to go through to lodge a complaint is extremely complex and rarely results in any punishment for the employer.”
“The system is broken when theft by corporations goes unpunished. We need to change the rules to end wage theft.”
ENDS
