BREAKING: Eleven Hospo Voice members at the Titanic Williamstown have won back more than $5000 in stolen wages and super.
This battle’s been epic and inspiring. Workers got organised and joined Hospo Voice. They spoke out on Fair Plate, then in the media. They used our Member Hub tools & resources. They got huge public support. And stood ready to go all the way, including covering Williamstown in some oar-some union posters to shame the Titanic.
That's what it took to win back their stolen wages and get solid proof the Titanic is making repayments to the ATO for their stolen super, which was finally provided.
Rumour has it the Titanic is keen to reopen soon, but with one member still in negotiations over his outstanding wages and leave, we stand ready to turn up the pressure again at a moment’s notice.
That’s union power. ✊✊✊
Wanna stand up and fight back for your stolen wages & super? Join now: https://join.hospovoice.org.au/
The Titanic Williamstown in Melbourne is a hugely popular theatre restaurant and a fun place to work. It’s booked out every weekend and well into the future. Dinner and the show will set you back $110.
But we haven’t been paid super for over six months and some of us are missing pay from as far back as April. We are owed thousands of dollars in stolen wages and super.
Our boss Louis has thrown us overboard. We’ve called, texted and emailed him but he ignores us and has even blocked some of us. We’re fed up with his games and excuses.
Even when the venue was open our pay was late. Nearly every week we had to chase Louis.
With Melbourne in lockdown, this wage theft has come at the worst possible time. Some of us have had to borrow money from family just to get by.
And while we’ve been left stranded, our boss has been selling designer handbags online for up to $6,000 a pop.
We know The Titanic can afford to pay us. It was popular before the lockdown and they are already taking bookings for later in the year. We’ve been made to feel like our livelihoods aren’t important.
Many of us have worked at The Titanic for years. We’re a close team, we’re friends more than coworkers. But constantly having to chase up our pay and discovering that we haven’t been paid super has left us feeling undervalued.
Why is this important?
The Titanic’s owner, Louis must pay our stolen super and wages back now. Wage theft is a crime in Victoria, our fellow union members fought hard to make that the case. We will report our employer to the Victorian Wage Theft Inspectorate to make sure he can’t get away with stealing from us or any other of his future workers.
Louis employs a lot of young workers at The Titanic Williamstown. We don’t want them to think that it’s okay for employers to treat us so badly. We want younger workers to know that this is not acceptable and that they’re entitled to stand up for themselves and demand to be treated with respect at work.
That’s why we’ve come together in our union, and why we’re fighting back.
Louis, you ignored us when we contacted you individually. Have we got your attention now?
