Members and supporters of the IWW Melbourne branch are in the midst of an ongoing struggle to support Mathias, an IWW member who is owed over $400 in unpaid wages by a restaurant he previously worked at.
Mathias worked as a casual hospitality employee at Hooks at the Yarra, a venue on the south bank of Melbourne’s Yarra river, for several weeks in December. The entire time he worked there, however, he was paid at a flat rate of $19.53 per hour, when the minimum wage for this work is $25.28 per hour during the week, and $30.33 per hour on Saturdays and Sundays. All told, in the three weeks he was employed there Mathias was robbed of $403.84.
After months of sending polite emails requesting payment and having them ignored, Mathias had had enough. He joined the IWW, formulated a plan to win his wages back, then marched into the restaurant with over a dozen supporters to deliver a letter demanding his legal entitlements.
Despite this, Hooks at the Yarra have still refused to pay up, and so we are taking further action to alert the public to their illegal work practices, including protesting and leafleting outside Hooks. If you’re owed wages and want to do something about it, want to organise for a better deal in your place of work, or want to support others doing this, then join us or get in touch today, and watch this space for more news!