22 Apr 2017

Fast food workers strike

8:44 pm on 22 April 2017

Restaurant Brands has hit back at union members after a strike today, saying overall wages and conditions for their fast-food employees are better than at the company's competitors.

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Photo: Supplied

About half of the company's 4000-strong workforce, including staff from KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Junior and Starbucks outlets, were set to strike today.

The company, which announced a profit of $26 million on Thursday, up nearly $2m from 2016, has refused to agree to the 10-cent rise for the past three years.

Unite union national director Mike Treen said hundreds of fast-food workers stopped working at midday causing dozens of stores to shut down.

He said it was extremely unfair that Restaurant Brands continued to make profit each year but its workers never saw any of it.

"It's appalling, there is a real anger out there.

"The chief executive needs to take the matter in hand and sort it ... because the people he's put in charge have created this dispute."

However, Restaurant Brands chief executive Russel Creedy said the union rejected their offer of a 10-cent per hour pay rise for entry level minimum wage workers and a 50-cent per hour increase for all other rates across all brands.

He said Restaurant Brands had increased their workers' wages by 17 percent since 2012.

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