
Cash only at the gallery
The prestigious National Gallery of Victoria has been rocked by a wage scandal with allegations emerging that security guards are being forced to work for cash and workers say they were fired or threatened with the sack for raising pay concerns.
The Victorian Government has appointed auditing firm KPMG to investigate, and may refer the allegations to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
One employee said he was hired by the gallery’s security contractor Building Risks International Pty Limited (BRI Security), but said after about two months he was transferred to a sub-contractor called Java Security. “They said you have to work cash in hand,” he said.
“If you don’t want to do it, you have to leave.” He was paid between $17 to $20 an hour flat rate with no tax and no entitlements such as sick leave.
BRI and Java Security deny the allegation. But BRI operates under a Work Choices era agreement, allowing them to pay their guards less than the award on weekends. (Source: ABC)