25 signatures reached
To: Padre Coffee Brunswick East
Support Workers at Padre Roastery
Members at Padre Coffee are asking for:
- Paid gender affirmation leave
- Paid Sorry Business leave for First Nations workers
- Recognising diverse family and kinship structures, especially for First Nations staff
- A heat allowance for when warehouse conditions become unsafe
- Union rights, including the right to representation and basic recognition in the Agreement
Each of these claims has been rejected outright. The Company has dismissed them as unnecessary, despite being consistent with basic equal opportunity principles and emerging best practice in inclusive workplaces.
We’re asking you to stand with us. Sign this petition to show your support for wage justice, dignity at work, and the right to be safe and included – no matter your background, culture or gender identity. Your voice can help send a clear message to Padre and Seven Miles: it’s time to come to the table and negotiate a fair, inclusive agreement.
We’re asking you to stand with us. Sign this petition to show your support for wage justice, dignity at work, and the right to be safe and included – no matter your background, culture or gender identity. Your voice can help send a clear message to Padre and Seven Miles: it’s time to come to the table and negotiate a fair, inclusive agreement.
Why is this important?
In mid-2024, workers at Padre Coffee's Brunswick East roastery made the decision to unionise. This was not a step taken lightly – but it was a necessary one. Since the business was bought out by corporate coffee giant Seven Miles, working conditions have steadily declined. The sense of family and community that once defined the workplace has been lost under a top-down corporate culture.
The tipping point came when one of our colleagues – our workplace delegate – began discussions with management about taking leave to undergo gender affirmation surgery. At the same time, the team had grown increasingly concerned about low wages, rising workloads, and a lack of workplace respect. Together, these experiences pushed workers to unionise and begin the process of negotiating an Enterprise Agreement that could secure better, fairer conditions for all.
Padre workers currently earn salaries starting at just $55,000 a year – an amount that reflects industry-wide issues, but falls well short of what's needed to live in Brunswick East, let alone thrive. Meanwhile, the Company has appointed two CEOs, both reportedly earning salaries in the $300,000 range – meaning one executive's pay equals the entire annual wages of the roastery team combined.
Padre workers currently earn salaries starting at just $55,000 a year – an amount that reflects industry-wide issues, but falls well short of what's needed to live in Brunswick East, let alone thrive. Meanwhile, the Company has appointed two CEOs, both reportedly earning salaries in the $300,000 range – meaning one executive's pay equals the entire annual wages of the roastery team combined.
At the end of 2024, a round of redundancies made our small team even smaller, further increasing the pressure on those who remained. Despite this, the Company has refused to improve redundancy conditions or even consider a single wage increase in bargaining.
Gender affirmation leave isn’t a luxury – it’s about basic dignity. Trans people face significant financial, social and emotional costs in accessing affirming healthcare. No one should have to quit their job just to transition safely. Paid gender affirmation leave is one small, critical step toward visibility, safety and equality for trans workers – and the fact that it’s being dismissed sends a harmful message about who belongs in our workplaces.
Padre’s Brunswick East workers are proud to be part of this community – but they can’t fight this fight alone. The Company has shown little interest in engaging meaningfully at the bargaining table. Now, we need our community to help push for change.