Parking cost increases for staff cause outrage among workers

PARKING rage has erupted among staff at a Brisbane shopping centre, with some staff now paying more than $1000 a year just to go to work. Then they have to contend with what’s waiting for them there.

Claire Chivers and Emily Hazard work are annoyed about the increased cost of parking at Westfield Garden City. Picture: RICHARD WALKER

PARKING rage has erupted at Westfield Garden City, with some staff now paying more than $1000 a year just to go to work.

They claim the carpark is littered with rubbish and that people have been seen using drugs and lighting fires in its stairwell.

Management recently increased daily parking for staff from $3 to $4, sparking an angry ­petition.

A management spokesman said the area was regularly cleaned, but shopping centre worker Eirini Michailidis said if that were the case she would have no problem paying more.

“(But) I have seen, on multiple occasions, teenagers sitting in there smoking, using drugs, eating, lighting fires and playing in the stairwells. It is full of rubbish, and on several occasions, we have also found used condoms,” she said.

It comes after shoppers at Westfield Chermside last week described their carpark as Brisbane’s answer to Mad Max.

But Garden City centre manager Richard Heinz said management was “not aware of any ongoing issues in relation to anti-social behaviour around the centre”.

“We’d certainly take any such comments very seriously and investigate further,” he said.

Staffer Emily Hazard labelled the price hike a “straight up rip-off”.

“It’s not maintained, it’s disgusting, there’s rubbish up there all the time, trolleys up there,” she said.

“We shouldn’t have to pay for it to begin with — we’re there every day.

“We’re only retail workers — we’re not making a lot of money,” she said.

She also said the lifts frequently broke down and the stairs were “disgusting”.

“There's rubbish, there’s cigarettes, it absolutely stinks,” she said.

Miss Hazard claimed there was often an hour-long wait to leave on Thursday nights.

“At nine o’clock the place turns into gridlock,” she said.

Ms Michailidis also claimed the lifts often failed and that the stairwells were “unhygienic, poorly lit and accessible to everyone”.

She said the price rise meant parking for fulltime workers would increase from $780 to $1040 a year.

“We earn minimum wage — I cannot afford $1000-plus just to pay to park at work,” she said.

She now moved her car every three hours to take advantage of free parking, or was dropped off at work.

She also feared management might increase parking costs for customers, too.

The online petition against the increased cost of staff parking at Westfield Garden City.

Sam De Ambrosis, who helped create a paper petition against the cost increase, said the staff carpark was littered with trolleys and rubbish, the lifts broke down, it was not secure and it was uncovered, so cars could be damaged by hail.

Claire Chivers said “nothing had changed” to justify the increased cost of parking.

Garden City centre manager Richard Heinz said cleaning and security teams regularly serviced all parking areas to ensure the centre was safe and well-presented.

“Additionally, all facilities — including lifts — are serviced regularly,” he said.

Mr Heinz said Thursday nights were “typically a busy time at the centre”.

“This traffic can cause congestion on the surrounding network of roads and therefore some delays at exits,” he said.

“We work closely and on an ongoing basis with council to manage this so shoppers can enter and exit the centre with minimal delay.”

Mr Heinz said there were “no current plans to make changes to customer parking”.

Westfield Garden City introduced paid parking in 2013, with customers paying up to $20 a day, with the first three hours free.