Grill’d workers sign pay deal after Fair Work tussle   
Workers at one successful Australian burger chain have signed a new pay deal after a tussle in front of the Fair Work Commission.


October 17, 2025
News.com.au

Workers at Grill’d have signed a new enterprise agreement, which the union says lifts “paltry” wages and closes a loophole.

The workplace umpire rejected most of the burger chain’s pay offer earlier this year after finding the company failed to explain to thousands of workers that the agreement froze — and would have eroded — their penalty rates.

However, a new deal was struck on Friday with the Fair Work Commission ratifying the enterprise agreement.

Grill’d founder and managing director Simon Crowe said the agreement made staff “among the best paid in Australia’s fast-food industry”.

Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association national secretary Gerard Dwyer said the agreement improved the “paltry” wages of staff and closed a long-running loophole.

“The SDA welcomes the decision of the FWC to support the union’s submissions and force Grill’d to improve its paltry offer to its workers,” Mr Dwyer said.

Grill’d and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association contested a pay deal in front of the Fair Work Commission earlier this year.

“Grill’d had been exploiting a loophole to deny its workers their legal entitlements for more than a decade.   

“That has now been fixed.”

It was the SDA that took Grill’d to the Fair Work Commission earlier in the year.


“The original agreement would have left many workers less well off, but thanks to the SDA’s efforts Grill’d must now ensure that employees are not paid less than the award during the life of the agreement,” Mr Dwyer said.

“The outcome also incentivises the company to increase wages in future years beyond the minimal 1 per cent outlined in the agreement.”

Mr Crowe said the company paid six months of backpay before the agreement was ratified as a “commitment to its people” while the “stalled and drawn-out process” took place.

Formula 1 star Oscar Piastri is among the big names who have been paid to promote Grill’d in recent times.

“The road to a new enterprise agreement has been long and challenging, but our people are our greatest asset,” he said.

Staff supported the deal with 83 per cent of voting workers agreeing, Mr Crowe said.

“We listened carefully and fought hard to deliver the best possible outcome for our teams,” he said.

“They wanted growth, flexibility, and real benefits, and this agreement delivers all three in spades.”

The company says under the new deal, workers will receive a “significantly higher” full-time and part-time base pay compared to the industry award.

“Our people are the heart of Grill’d, and this agreement is a reflection of their passion, patience, and belief in what we’re building together,” Mr Crowe said.

“We’re deeply grateful for their support throughout this process.”

Grill’d has about 4300 staff at 149 company-owned shops, with about 23 franchisee shops sitting outside the enterprise agreement.

It is good but why has it taken so long?

Why didn’t fair work sort this out.

What do we ( taxpayers) pay them to do?

Sit in a office in Canberra on six figures wages?