Fair Work Ombudsman slams Pizza Hut for non-compliance … NSW to keep Boxing Day trading … Uber investors sue Travis Kalanick

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James has slammed Australian pizza retailer Pizza Hut for a “lack of any meaningful response or commitment” regarding a number of its franchisees being found to be underpaying staff.

“Based on the response so far, I am not confident Pizza Hut head office is taking our concerns about non-compliance within its network seriously,” James said in a statement.

“Given the seriousness and potential impact of non-compliance in the Pizza Hut franchise, I am disappointed that we have not seen any concrete action from Pizza Hut head office.

“My agency will continue to target non-compliance in the Pizza Hut network, however our strong preference is to work with head office to prevent these instances from occurring in the first place.”

The comments come after a Pizza Hut franchisee in Newcastle was found to have underpaid 24 staff a total of $19,762, with the store operator telling the Fair Work Ombudsman he had received no training on workplace laws from Pizza Hut head office.

Chief executive of Pizza Hut Australia Lisa Ransom has rejected the suggestion Pizza Hut has not been cooperative in addressing the concerns.

“We have met with Fair Work on several occasions and requested further information on any breaches or activity they may have identified in this 2015 audit, but are yet to receive anything of this nature from them,” she told Fairfax. 

Boxing Day trading in NSW here to stay

New South Wales businesses will continue to get another day to trade each year as the government has committed to sticking with Boxing Day trading after a two-year trial, reports news.com.au.

“Until we introduced these reforms in 2015, the people of Western Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and many parts of regional NSW had to miss out on getting a Boxing Day bargain close to home, while people closer to the CBD had that opportunity — that situation was simply unfair,” Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said in a statement.

“After a two-year trial and a comprehensive review, we now know there is clear support for giving all retailers the option of opening their doors on one of the biggest trading days of the year, provided staff are given a free choice as to whether they will work or not.”

Uber investors sue ex-chief executive Travis Kalanick

Investors in ridesharing giant Uber, Benchmark Capital, are suing former chief executive Travis Kalanick reports Reuters, aiming to force Kalanick off the board and remove his ability to further fill three board seats.

The lawsuit accuses Kalanick of scheming to retain power at the company even after he resigned in June this year.

“Kalanick’s overarching objective is to pack Uber’s Board with loyal allies in an effort to insulate his prior conduct from scrutiny and clear the path for his eventual return as CEO—all to the detriment of Uber’s stockholders, employees, driver-partners, and customers,” the lawsuit reads.

Benchmark Capital controls 13% of Uber and has 20% of voting power on the board.

A spokesperson for Kalanick said in a statement, “The lawsuit is completely without merit and riddled with lies and false allegations”.

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