Mantle Group Hospitality is facing harsh allegations and media scrutiny over “exploitation” of staff courtesy of mis-practise and a 19-year-old zombie workplace agreement.
The Courier Mail is championing its own investigation of the Queensland-based hospitality group, asserting the company has artificially kept casual staff on low, introductory rates beyond the allowed three months, and continuing a WorkChoices agreement from 2000 that gets around the paying of overtime or penalty rates.
Mantle Group holds more than a dozen hotel and dining businesses, including the popular Pig ‘N’ Whistle pub chain, and the Charming Squire at South Brisbane and Squire’s Landing in Sydney, and has been rumoured to be considering a run at the stock market.
The allegations may have affected many of its 800-odd employees, and the Courier Mail’s story cites multiple cases it has found of staff speaking of mis-treatment through what is suggested to be “a gap in the law”.
Mantle Group’s current workplace agreement technically expired in 2002, but as has been found at other hospitality employers, the agreement has remained in place as not formally removed and replaced. The issue of outdated agreements and underpaying workers has attracted increasing media attention this year, notably in the highly strung fine-dining sector.
It is required to pay casuals the minimum $24.36 an hour, by not penalty rates or overtime, which has said to have been practise even on weekends, late nights and public holidays.
The company has denied wrongdoing, issuing a statement it has “undertaken a complete review and can confirm every member of staff is paid correctly, and according to the Certified Agreement”.
However, United Workers Union (UWU) says payslips show the Group had underpaid workers, often short-term tourists.
Last month the Group confirmed it had erred in a policy to dock staff wages for unpaid customer bills, and has begun contacting former staff affected to repay money.
The UWU is offering assistance to any Mantle employee looking to have the workplace agreement removed.
I was a duty manager for the Mantle group in Brisbane about 5 years ago, they pay all casual staff under the award with no penalty rates, they make them sign a contract accepting the terms upon employment and justify the rates under the guise of being a ‘training institution’, however i do not recall myself or anyone receiving any extra training.
The owner of the company stocked all his very busy venues with expensive plates and crockery and when a staff member accidentally broke anything would have managers ask staff to sign a form to garnish their wages as payment (some of these plates were upwards of $50 each), whilst they could refuse to sign it this would usually lead to shifts being cut.
I recall one time the barista locked his bike up on the street outside the venue attached to a designated bike loop, the owner was walking past and did not like the look of the bike there so started kicking his employees bike while the barista watched horrified.