An Australian restaurant chain fronted by a celebrity chef has pledged to pay AU$1.6 million (US$1.1 million) to staff following payroll and roster problems.
Rockpool Dining Group made the promise after an investigation by Fairfax Media revealed that permanent chefs were being asked to do excessive amounts of unpaid overtime.
The practice, alleged to date back a number of years, pushed wages below legal minimum rates, according to The Canberra Times.
Some of the employees who work for Rockpool, which is fronted by celebrity chef Neil Perry, were paid for 38 hours a week while regularly working between 20 and 30 hours of unpaid overtime. Fairfax Media’s investigation found that some weeks this meant hourly pay amounted to little as AU$15 (US$10.70) per hour.
Rockpool Dining Group is Australia’s biggest upmarket restaurant company, with forecast turnover of more than AU$300 million (US$214 million) in 2017/18 and operating profits of AU$40m (US$29 million). The Group owns 16 brands, which include premium restaurants Sake and Rosetta, casual eateries such as Munich Brauhaus and The Bavarian and flagship brand, Rockpool.
Gill Oliver is a business and property journalist who has written for The Daily Mail/Mail Online's This is Money, The Press Association and many national and regional newspapers and magazines.
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An Australian restaurant chain fronted by a celebrity chef has pledged to pay AU$1.6 million (US$1.1 million) to staff following payroll and roster problems.
Rockpool Dining Group made the promise after an investigation by Fairfax Media revealed that permanent chefs were being asked to do excessive amounts of unpaid overtime.
The practice, alleged to date back a number of years, pushed wages below legal minimum rates, according to The Canberra Times.
Some of the employees who work for Rockpool, which is fronted by celebrity chef Neil Perry, were paid for 38 hours a week while regularly working between 20 and 30 hours of unpaid overtime. Fairfax Media’s investigation found that some weeks this meant hourly pay amounted to little as AU$15 (US$10.70) per hour.
Rockpool Dining Group is Australia’s biggest upmarket restaurant company, with forecast turnover of more than AU$300 million (US$214 million) in 2017/18 and operating profits of AU$40m (US$29 million). The Group owns 16 brands, which include premium restaurants Sake and Rosetta, casual eateries such as Munich Brauhaus and The Bavarian and flagship brand, Rockpool.
Gill Oliver is a business and property journalist who has written for The Daily Mail/Mail Online's This is Money, The Press Association and many national and regional newspapers and magazines.
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