THE DARKER SIDE OF HOSPITALITY

Wage theft is a growing area of concern in the hospitality industry. Six years ago, my wages were stolen. I worked for $15 an hour with no penalty rates in a local restaurant. I can still smell the sweat and food scraps stuck to my clothes, hear the screaming from the hot kitchen and feel the sinking disappointment when opening my weekly envelope of cash, poorly hidden beneath the register.

"They must have made a mistake," I thought at first. But it was no mistake.

My bosses were cordially duplicitous. They offered staff free pizza, as if this compensated more than halving our weekend wages.

They were mostly friendly and light-hearted, as if this excused forgoing breaks and superannuation.

Their image as benevolent "regular mums and dads" slowly crumbled as job security, trying conditions and poor recompense left a sour taste in my mouth.

Finally, the public is seeing this darker side of hospitality.

Recent wage theft allegations against popular Melbourne eateries Barry, Vue de Monde, Chin Chin and the Degani chain, as well as celebrity chefs George Calombaris and Darren Purchese, have leant high-profile names to a previously hidden problem.

And these businesses aren’t merely "bad apples" — according to the Fair Work Ombudsman, 48 per cent of Australian hospitality businesses do not comply with industrial laws.

How did businesses get away with it for so long?

Blood ties and friendships between employers and employees pacify agitation. But I think something culturally specific is also at play.

Anyone who has worked in hospitality knows that the hours are long and the working conditions tough.

Loyalty is bought with the camaraderie of the kitchen and front of house and a couple of free beers after knock-off, not big pay packets.