7-Eleven dispute: staff told to pay for security

Andrew Mathieson
WORKERS at a busy convenience store in central Geelong will be left vulnerable late at nights after a trade-off to shed security guards for better wages, according to union representatives.
The Workplace Ombudsman’s office has been investigating union claims the Moorabool Street 7-Eleven store paid staff at less than $10 an hour.
Unite secretary Anthony Main said the store’s owner finally agreed to pay the minimum wage but at a cost.
The owner told his staff this week they would have to pay for security guards out of their own pay packets if they wanted protection against drunken revellers on weekends, Mr Main said.
The loss of weekend security outside the store was just the latest workplace issue to confront workers at the Geelong 7-Eleven, he said.
Staff members had also lodged separate complaints with Worksafe and police.
Mr Main said staff had already lost thousands of dollars while working for below-award rates.
“When (the owners) is forced to start paying the minimum wage, he wants his workers to provide their own security,” he said.
“It’s totally unheard of.”
Mr Main labelled the owners’ actions in response to the pay agreement as “outrageous”.
Some workers had claimed they were asked to commit to a probation period of up to two months for no pay, he said.
“To be honest, we usually don’t have this much trouble to get bosses to stick to the minimum wages and conditions.
“We’re not asking for a million dollars; we’re asking for the basic wage and for these blokes to be treated with a bit of respect.”
Mr Main said the owner should pay back his staff for the hours they worked at $10.
The union refused to rule out further protests until the owner provided a safe workplace, he said.
Geelong Trades Hall joined union members, mostly international students from Deakin University, in a rally last month on the doors of the Moorabool Street convenience store.
The 7-Eleven storeowner had not returned the Independent’s call for comment before the paper went to press.