- Call-centre staff at Australia Taxation Office earn less than McDonald’s workers
- Employees in the centres are outsourced by a US company so earn less
- The workers’ union CPSU claim staff would earn the award rate if not for the deal
McDonald’s workers in Australia are paid more than almost all of their global counterparts – as well as apparently the call-centre staff employed to answer Australian’s questions about tax.
Staff answering calls made to the Australian Tax Office are employed as part of a scheme by a US company which outsources the labour under a $100 million deal.
Under the alleged agreement between the ATO and American-owned outsourcing solutions company Stellar, workers are making as little as $20 an hour.
McDonald’s employees in Australia allegedly earn more than staff answering phones for the Australian Taxation Office
The amount is less than that made by Australia’s burger-flippers.
‘I would be better off working at a fish and chip shop where I would get a better rate of pay,’ one unnamed worker who earns $20.20 told the Daily Telegraph.
She also claimed that the workers do not receive weekend penalty rates or sanctioned breaks during shifts at the centre.
The minimum wage for an entry-level casual call-centre worker in Australia is $24.41, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
This award rate includes penalty rates for weekend, overtime and public holidays worked where staff are supposed to earn up to $50 an hour.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) representing the workers affected under the deal, allege they would earn more than $30 if they were hired directly.
The staff are employed under an alleged agreement with outsourcing solutions company Stellar, which sees workers make as little as $20 an hour
Last year the union claimed one-fifth of the ATO’s work force was now made up of outsourced labour and says the workers would be better of without the agreement
The CPSU also alleges that under the deal, Stellar would receive $50 for each outsourced worker.
Last year the union claimed one-fifth of the ATO’s work force was now made up of outsourced labour.
In Australia, an entry-level McDonald’s employee aged 21 and older must be paid at least $21 an hour.
This wage is also subject to weekend, overtime and public holiday penalty rates which can see staff earn almost $45 an hour.