Covert video released by the ABC this week allegedly shows an employee at a Brisbane 7-Eleven handing back a sizeable portion of her pay to the store franchisee. 7-Eleven says it will “aggressively investigate” the activity.
“There should be no doubt that we have zero tolerance of wage fraud,” 7-Eleven CEO Angus McKay said.
“We have aggressively investigated the claims since they were shared with us last week. If they are proven, we will act upon any illegal franchisee activity, up to and including termination of their Franchise Agreement. Until they are proven or otherwise, it is unfair to jump to conclusions.”
7-Eleven’s investigation has included speaking with almost all current and former staff, and the franchisee of this store. It says no staff member has raised concerns about wage payments or practices at this store, either prior to the ABC’s allegations or throughout our investigation.
The former staff member involved in the ABC’s story has declined several invitations to come forward, despite claiming to be $6,000 out of pocket. 7-Eleven is encouraging her to do so, to assist its investigation and ensure it can pursue her employer to recover any monies found to be owed to her or to other staff.
“We repeat our calls to the ABC to share all information it has pertaining to its story, including the unedited covert audio and video footage, to assist our investigation and help us take any appropriate action in a timely manner, including supporting the staff members,” Mr McKay said.
“Our commitment to stamping out these practices within our franchised network of stores, and to repaying staff members found to have been disadvantaged, is absolute.”
