As one chef put it: ‘Free steak dinners don’t pay my rent or stop my boss docking pay for smoke breaks.’
- Vice Chancellor Fellow, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Stress, poor pay and job insecurity are driving professional chefs away from the hospitality industry in Australia and New Zealand. Tourism is also feeling the impact of the looming skill shortage.
Food delivery workers are now essential workers. But they’re still not treated as employees.
High-end restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has allegedly underpaid staff by $4 million. Our research finds wage theft is accepted as the industry norm.
