Two well-known franchises have come under fire this week for problems when reporting their business results. We answer four questions about the business model and why these scandals are reoccuring.
Retail Food Group (RFG) Managing Director Andre Nell (right) and Chairman Colin Archer. The company has been the focus of the latest investigation into franchise problems.
Dan Peled/AAP
There are some hallmark problems within franchising in Australia and internationally and not all are within the franchisor’s or franchisees’ control to fix.
There is no transparency in how the Australian Border Force operates when it comes to deporting illegal migrant workers.
AAP/Julian Smith
The taskforce must redesign Australia’s rather chaotic and unfair temporary labour migration program.
Just a little under ten years ago, many situations of temporary migrant labour exploitation would have been framed as issues of labour trafficking.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
The primary focus in tackling temporary migrant labour exploitation is workplace breaches. But should it be?
Protesters were back on the streets demanding penalty rates be left alone when the Coalition government asked the Productivity Commission to look at workplace relations last year.
AAP/Angus Livingston
Cutting penalty rates can be a vote-changer and the looming Fair Work Commission decision is tricky for both sides of politics. So what cards do the parties hold and how might they play them?
Exploitation of 7-Eleven workers has put pressure on both parties in the election to amend laws to prevent this from happening in the future.
Dan Peled/AAP
Both the Coalition and Labor are aiming to combat worker exploitation with new policies and while this may be good news for workers, there are still some gaps.
The rise of subcontracting and franchises has allowed employers to enjoy the profits without the responsibility.
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While there has been a rise in contracting out and ‘disruptors’ such as Uber, employment is an will remain the dominant method of business operation in a capitalist setting.
Class actions are often expensive and long-running.
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Revelations of a “black labour market” operating in Australia has underlined the need for further investigation into the plight of insecure workers, says the chairman of a new Inquiry.
In the wake of disturbing allegations of exploitation and underpayment of 7-Eleven workers by franchisee owners, what moral obligations does the parent franchisor have?
Thanks to Four Corners we now see the human face of migrant workers.
Dan Peled/AAP
Australia’s current interest in the work temporary migrants do is laudable but needs to extend to other important issues of this million-strong community.
Franchisors like 7-Eleven cannot hide behind plausible deniability.
Tim Wimborne/Reuters