Melbourne cafe Hairy Little Sista one of the worst cases of underpayment: union
ABC News
June 20 2018
Two weeks ago, Harry Connor decided he'd had enough.
After three months working at Hairy Little Sista in Melbourne's Little Collins Street, he finally asked his boss for the $3,000 he said he was underpaid — as well as two weeks' outstanding wages.
Shortly afterward, he was removed from the cafe's roster, and its employees' Facebook group.
His employment was over.
"I was pretty devastated," he said.
"I hadn't been paid, I needed a job, and my morale was shot."
Like other former employees who've spoken to the ABC, he said it was a constant battle just to get paid.
"There wasn't a single week that the money was on time," Mr Connor said.
"It was almost impossible to get paid any wage at all."
Wages unpaid for months at a time
Jess Walsh, the Victorian secretary of United Voice, said Hairy Little Sista is one of the worst cases of underpayment they have come across.
"We have met people who are earning as little as $17 an hour cash in hand, working weekends and getting no weekend rates, not being paid their super," he said.
"We have even met people who have not been paid at all for weeks and months on end."
One former employee, who does not want to be identified, told the ABC he went four and half months without wages.
Hairy Little Sista is owned by Kristine Becker, who has a long history in the Victorian hospitality industry at venues such as Hairy Canary, Zucchini, Tiger Bar and a ski lodge at Mount Hotham.
Kyle Tinnion worked at Hairy Little Sista for eight months, and said the only reason he stayed so long was because he didn't want to walk out leaving weeks' worth of wages behind.
"There were times I would text her and say, 'I need my money to pay my bills'," he said.
"It's scary to be working and you don't know if or when you're going to be paid."
Kyle Tinnion standing in front of a metal roller door in a checked shirt.
Employee left owing tax office
After he left the cafe, Kyle was shocked to discover he owed hundreds of dollars in unpaid tax: money he assumed his employer had taken out of his wages.
"I was wanting a group certificate, I was wanting super, I was wanting payslips … I received none of those," he said.
"I didn't know what to do at that point. I kind of washed my hands and walked away.
"I'm now working at a call centre and I'm being paid properly."
Another former employee, Keren Storai, said she wasn't sure how much she is owed in backpay.
"The situation got so out of hand I lost track," she said.
"After my first two weeks I got $500 for 45-hour weeks.
"She said the rest would go into my account.
"But it didn't."
Ms Storai said she was constantly chasing Ms Becker for unpaid wages.
"She would avoid coming in, she would send apologetic texts, with excuses about why I hadn't been paid — 'I was at a funeral', 'I haven't been in touch with the accountant' — and then a few days later, I still didn't know what was going on, and I still had no money."
Employer wants to 'get this sorted'
Yesterday, Ms Becker told the ABC that there had been mistakes in the past, but that she had always tried to do the right thing by her staff, and wants to "get this sorted".
However, she did not provide answers to specific, written questions from the ABC.
What makes these allegations even more stunning is that the industry has been under such scrutiny in recent months for the way workers are paid.
Some of the biggest names in the Melbourne food industry are now under investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman, including Shannon Bennett's Vue Group, the Lucas Group (which operates Chin Chin), and inner-city cafes Alimentari and Barry.
In April, the Victorian Labor Government made an election promise to make wage theft a crime, with stiff penalties for employers, including up to 10 years in jail.
"We think employers really should be on notice now that they just can't get away with this anymore," said Jess Walsh.
"There has been case after case revealed, and yet we still have employers taking risks like this, and it's really time for this sort of treatment of hospitality workers to stop
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