Subway Probes ‘Exploitation’
FAST food chain Subway will investigate and review its operations after claims that a Melbourne shop systematically failed to pay foreign trial workers.
The Age revealed yesterday that Prateek Sahni, 23, is claiming more than $200,000 in penalties after he said he was not paid for more than 40 hours’ work at the store at 1-5 Elizabeth Street in February.
He also said he was required by his manager to do labouring, including the lifting of heavy stones, at a property near Sunshine, without pay.
His lawyers, Maurice Blackburn, said other international students had made similar complaints about the same store.
Store manager Biltan Besim has denied the claims but said he ”generally” and ”predominantly” paid trial workers, and claimed some abandoned their work and could not be traced.
In a statement, Subway Systems Australia said there would be an internal investigation and if a franchisee was found to be operating outside the relevant employee law it could check whether it was a breach of the franchisee agreement.
Breaches are taken ”very seriously” and responses were decided on a ”case by case basis”, it said.
“We expect franchisees … to follow all laws and regulations pertaining to operating their businesses,” regional director Brian Tap said. “We are committed to taking whatever action is needed to address the complaint that has been made.”
