“The worst place I ever worked” Tell Watsons Bay To Stop Exploiting Migrant Workers

You might know Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel as one of Sydney’s most picturesque harbourside hotels. But for me, it was the worst place I ever worked.

I worked there as a chef for four years and I would often work 60 hours a week, and many of those hours were unpaid.

Our shifts would stretch 12-13 hours. But management would change our timesheets so it looked like we worked less.

I was so exhausted on my days off, I couldn’t have a life while I worked there. My husband was a chef there too, and he had panic attacks before going to work.

My union, Hospo Voice, calculated that Watsons Bay Hotel stole about $200,000 from me. Between myself and four other staff, we had about half a million dollars stolen from us.

I am a migrant worker, and most of my coworkers were too. I feel like Watsons Bay Hotel hires migrant workers because they think they can get away with exploiting vulnerable staff. They count on us being too scared to speak out.

But now we’re fighting back, in our union, and we want justice. Now.