More than 300 current and former McDonald’s workers, employed across 92 restaurants, are taking legal action against the fast food giant over rest breaks, in the biggest claim of its kind.
SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer said the court action was “groundbreaking moment for some of the most vulnerable workers across the country. In a statement, McDonald’s Australia denied any wrongdoing, and said the company is “very mindful of our obligations under applicable employment laws... and continue to work closely with our restaurants to ensure employees receive all correct workplace entitlements and pay.”Commencing in South Australia, this will be the ninth Federal Court action the SDA has taken against McDonald's, alleging that the fast food giant is complicit in the exploitation of its workers.
Under the Award, workers are entitled to a 10-minute paid rest break for four working hours and another 10-minute paid break for nine or more hours of work.The SDA alleges that along with concealing break entitlements from workers, some McDonald’s franchises told workers they could have a free soft drink in lieu of a paid rest break, and that they didn’t receive breaks because they were allowed to go to the bathroom and have a drink whenever they wanted.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)