Australian Unions are standing up to the McDonald’s fast-food chain in a test case over workers’ bargaining rights.
A full bench of the Fair Work Commission today began hearing an application to decide whether the workers at McDonald’s franchises should have the ability to bargain together.
This affects more than 5,100 workers employed in 18 McDonald’s South Australian franchises. These workers are represented by the SDA, the fast-food union.
ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus and SDA South Australian Secretary, Josh Peak are at the Adelaide hearings, with a group of McDonald’s employees, expressing their frustration at the multi-national’s attempt to block the application.
McDonald’s is the first employer to contest a supported bargaining bid under strengthened supported bargaining laws that were designed by the Albanese Government to get wages moving.
The fast-food industry has the highest proportion of award-reliant workers in Australia, consisting of mostly young workers; on low hours, low pay and lacking in bargaining experience.
The Dutton-led Coalition has committed to ripping up multi-employer bargaining laws if elected.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus:
“McDonald’s wants to fight this application by claiming that their franchises do not share common interests. Anyone who has ever walked into a Maccas store or bought takeaway from a drive-through knows differently.
“Every McDonald’s store is the same, right down to the pickles, sesame seed buns and their minimum award wage pay rates. Everything is standardised to within an inch of its life, it makes sense that the workers should be able to bargain together. They are simply aligning with the way McDonald’s franchises operate.
“McDonald’s refusal to bargain is a refusal to pay their workers one cent more than they have to. Workers deserve better than that.”
Quotes attributable to SDA SA Secretary, Josh Peak:
“McDonald’s workers are the largest cohort of low paid workers in the country.
“These workers should absolutely have the right to bargain, and it is time McDonald’s franchisees sit down and negotiate with their workforce and their representatives.
“The fast-food industry has the highest proportion of award-reliant workers in the country and McDonald’s and their franchisees are the largest employer in the country that doesn’t negotiate directly with its workforce.
“This application is all about giving McDonald’s workers a genuine say at work and help them improve their pay and conditions.
“Together, McDonald’s and its franchisees are the largest fast-food employer in Australia but not one of their workers is covered by an enterprise agreement – it’s time that this changes.”
