A franchisee of Pizza Hut is under fire after employees accuse the company of wage theft, alleging that wages have been docked and payments per delivery stopped. The Unite union has served a grievance on behalf of drivers who claim they were not consulted about changes.
Pizza Hut Workers Accuse Franchisee of Docking Wages
Wage theft refers to the illegal practice of withholding or mispaying wages owed to employees.
According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, approximately 2.4 million workers in the United States are victims of wage theft each year, resulting in over $50 billion in lost earnings.
The most common forms of wage theft include unpaid overtime, minimum wage violations, and failure to pay final wages upon termination.
Employers may engage in wage theft due to ignorance or intentional malfeasance.
A Blatant Attempt to Offload Drivers?
Pizza Hut workers are accusing a franchise of ‘blatantly unlawful‘ behavior, alleging that the company has altered timesheets, docked wages, and stopped payments per delivery. Glenshire Group, which runs all 22 Pizza Hut delivery outlets in Scotland, has been served with a grievance by the Unite union on behalf of drivers who claim they were told of changes by text with no consultation.
A Desperate Attempt to Cut Costs
Delivery driver Cian, who has been delivering pizzas for over two years, says that Glenshire had shown ‘a complete disdain for their staff and their customers‘ and described the situation as ‘abysmal.’ He was informed via a text message that his pay had increased to £12.21 an hour but he had lost his £1.45 delivery payments, which would have covered his fuel costs.
A Cynical Attempt to Offload Drivers
Unite’s head of hospitality, Bryan Simpson, has accused Glenshire of ‘a cynical attempt to offload over 100 drivers‘ before the rise in employers’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs), the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage on 1 April. The loss of drivers’ commission per delivery could effectively mean that workers are being brought below the minimum wage, losing thousands of pounds a year.
Unfair Deductions
Unite’s grievance also accuses Glenshire of acting ‘fraudulently‘ by going into old staff timesheets and retroactively adding unpaid 20-minute rest breaks. The company claims there have been ‘no changes to break policies,’ but the union says this is not true.
A Call for Investigation
Employment lawyer Joanne Moseley warns that from 1 April, when the new National Living Wage is introduced, Glenshire could be in breach of minimum wage regulations. If the company doesn’t reimburse its drivers for payments they’ve incurred in connection with their employment, it will be in breach of the NMW regulations.
A Plea to Pizza Hut UK
A manager who wishes to remain anonymous has called on bosses of Pizza Hut UK to investigate the Glenshire franchise. He said that the company’s actions are ‘not worth me keeping my job‘ and that they need to be aware of what is happening to their brand, staff, and customers.
A Response from Pizza Hut UK
Pizza Hut UK says it is deeply committed to ensuring a safe and fair working environment for all employees and has strict policies in place. The company will actively engage with concerned employees and continue to investigate the situation.
