Woolworths now caught out underpaying their staff

[bPeteb]

After the fairly vociferous attacks on Mr Perry and the underpayment of staff at Rockpool restaurants, I'm expecting the same attacks to now target the CEO of Woolies after today's revelation that they have underpaid staff $300m (!!!)? Surely the CEO knew about this? Surely QF should drop its affiliation with them?

 

[opusman]

Is that where the QF food comes from?

 

[bPeteb]

Is that where the QF food comes from?

Who knows. It's where a lot of it's newer Frequent Flyers come from

 

[FrankP]

That’s disappointing. I thought woolies was one of the better employers. I thought they used to have a reasonable union in place (maybe I’ve remembered that wrong) and I thought the local managers did a reasonable job trying with the shifts for my kids when they were going through as first jobs. Mind you each woolies is different.

But still, I’m surprised by this announcement and hoping when more info comes out it’s not as bad as it sounds ... maybe one rogue store or something?

 

[sudoer]

I'm expecting the same attacks to now target the CEO of Woolies after today's revelation that they have underpaid staff $300m (!!!)?

Woolworths are equally deserving of the same attacks on the basis they grossly underpaid 5700 staff? Sure. I'd be pissed if I was one of those people owed an average of $52k.

Surely QF should drop its affiliation with them?

The Woolworths Rewards / QFF affiliation is not comparable to the Rockpool / QF affiliation IMO.

NP / Rockpool are marketed as an integral part of the QF lounge and in-flight experience. Woolworths are not - QFF is simply a crediting partner for WWR...

That’s disappointing. I thought woolies was one of the better employers. I thought they used to have a reasonable union in place (maybe I’ve remembered that wrong) and I thought the local managers did a reasonable job trying with the shifts for my kids when they were going through as first jobs. Mind you each woolies is different.

But still, I’m surprised by this announcement and hoping when more info comes out it’s not as bad as it sounds ... maybe one rogue store or something?

It's not just one store - it mostly affects salaried manager roles at store level. Those on shift work/hourly rates aren't affected, apparently.

The union has been banging on about this for a while:

Woolworths workers claim alleged $1 billion in underpayments

A Woolworths worker has applied to terminate a national agreement on wages and conditions and claim back an alleged $1 billion in underpayments for up to 100,000 employees.

www.smh.com.au

 

[Franky]

That’s disappointing. I thought woolies was one of the better employers. I thought they used to have a reasonable union in place (maybe I’ve remembered that wrong) and I thought the local managers did a reasonable job trying with the shifts for my kids when they were going through as first jobs. Mind you each woolies is different.

But still, I’m surprised by this announcement and hoping when more info comes out it’s not as bad as it sounds ... maybe one rogue store or something?

Your'e forgetting who the leader of the 'reasonable union' was, and the great deal he did for those workers on his climb up the ladder to success?

 

[Denali]

...backdating the termination could entitle workers to the difference between the wages they would have been paid under the award, and the wages they were paid

I thought the point of a BOOT was so the employee was not to be disadvantaged by going with an EBA.

 

[CaptJCool]

...backdating the termination could entitle workers to the difference between the wages they would have been paid under the award, and the wages they were paid

I thought the point of a BOOT was so the employee was not to be disadvantaged by going with an EBA.

No, no the BOOTS on the other foot.

Because they don’t underpay themselves and if anything are overpaid through a series of salary, perks and share options (obtain for 4 cents and flog off for open market value $37.73) they’re not worried about “getting a home loan” nor paying the rent and all those other sort of employee struggles.....

What this reveals is a systemic trouble with EBAs and reading award rates across multiple awards. Do I use the federal or state one and which of the hundreds do I apply to this occupation ?

Apparently said Julia was warned of the repercussions of EBAs v collective awards where weak workplaces used to piggyback on wage rises of strong workplaces with that nexus now cut we see no wage growth and capped Public service wage growth of “no more than 2% pa, gosh for four years most agencies voted down their proposed EBAs and so got no wage rise at all - unlike the easy ride of those on the shares - price rises plus fully franked dividends all over the place.

When it’s happening in the bastion of blue chips, then you know there’s a serious lack of interest in “getting it right. I don’t consider making it a criminal offence - it’s not life and death - but there’s something seriously amiss if this is the case.

Perhaps EBAs need to mandate 4 cent share options so all employees can share in the profiteering instead of 4 “can’t share with them options - they’re not professional snobs like us”

 

[Hvr]

I thought they used to have a reasonable union in place (maybe I’ve remembered that wrong)

The SDA is a management union through and through despite the best efforts of the members to get fair wages and conditions.

The problem is too many workers are casual and young so they are easily intimidated by and just vote as told. The sheer bulk of numbers means full time, and long term PT workers are overwhelmed and overridden ion industrial matters.

 

[moa999]

Be interesting how many other industries where junior staff on a salary are paid less than any relevant industry award for casuals.

For the supermarkets this is only impacting junior/store level management, not your regular casual.

 

[amaroo]

Woolies and many others have an even bigger problem brewing with the amount of unpaid hours salary staff are expected / directed to work.

 

[Isochronous]

I'm reminded of the maxim 'never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence' - by any metric our IR laws and regulations in Australia are profoundly complex, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was a situation where management screwed up and due to the complexity of figuring out what the awards actually require that the employees also didn't realise that they were meant to have received more. How else would $300m go totally unnoticed?

 

[CaptJCool]

I'm reminded of the maxim 'never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence' - by any metric our IR laws and regulations in Australia are profoundly complex, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was a situation where management screwed up and due to the complexity of figuring out what the awards actually require that the employees also didn't realise that they were meant to have received more. How else would $300m go totally unnoticed?

My sentiments precisely.

So let’s send the rogues to suspended sentences ....jokes

Just another fish up a tree

 

[DC3]

So, it was not the workers who were underpaid? Just the managers?

 

[Melburnian1]

So, it was not the workers who were underpaid? Just the managers?

Yes, but 'low level' managers it seems, such as at a single supermarket.

Agree that awards and agreements are so complex this would be pretty easy to overlook.

Woolworths is doing the correct thing: it self-identified, and is paying the monies owed with superannuation (mandatory) and interest (at what rate is not explained.)

So it's more responsible, as an ASX-listed entity ought be, than some of these restauratuers.

 

[Himeno]

So, it was not the workers who were underpaid? Just the managers?

No. The workers have been underpaid as well. This fact just hasn't been reported widely.

They only found this reported issue because they have been doing a salaried wage review in light of the supermarkets and metro EBA change in January and BWS EBA renewal in September (A number of salaried staff complained about their rates compared to EBA rates, even though base EBA rates were cut).

They haven't found the EBA under payments because they haven't been looking.

 

[drron]

Calling for QF to cut their ties with Woolworths would be a little hypocritical seeing that Qantas has also been found to be underpaying it's staff.As have the ABC and Bunnings.Seems to be a problem with our laws.

Totally different from the Rockpool group and others where evidence has been presented about time sheets being altered etc.

 

[drron]

Today's Australian.

 

[Denali]

No. The workers have been underpaid as well. This fact just hasn't been reported widely.

They only found this reported issue because they have been doing a salaried wage review in light of the supermarkets and metro EBA change in January and BWS EBA renewal in September (A number of salaried staff complained about their rates compared to EBA rates, even though base EBA rates were cut).

They haven't found the EBA under payments because they haven't been looking.

I think in light of quite a few high profile Super issues latey, a lot of companies have invested in having their payroll audited over the past 18mths and things are coming to the surface.

 

[amaroo]

Yes, but 'low level' managers it seems, such as at a single supermarket.

The managers quoted are mainly departmental managers, people who are responsible for the deli, produce, meat, etc, of a store. They once had thousands of them, until they changed things early this year.

Dozens of Ballarat Woolworths staff removed from positions under re-structure

Up to 90 staff at Woolworths supermarkets in Ballarat could be removed from their managerial positions under a...

www.thecourier.com.au