Desperate retail worker living off $40 a week amid Sydney lockdown

Workers are pleading for better support as they lose thousands while stood down from their jobs during lockdown.

Casual workers in Sydney are desperate for more government help and claim they have once again fallen through the cracks in covid support packages.

Retail bosses and workers alike are calling for JobKeeper to be reintroduced, as NSW’s cases spiked to 136, sparking fears that the lockdown will be extended for a third time beyond July.

Retailers such as Cue, Seed, Accent Group (which operates brands including as Platypus, Hype, and Skechers) and Premier Investment (which operates Smiggle and Jay Jays) have had to stand down some of their workers without pay after lockdown measures were announced.

The government expects Jane*, a salesperson from footwear store Platypus, to live off just $40 a week.

The fourth-year uni student has to pay $100 in rent but was stood down earlier this week.

As she receives an $80 youth allowance payout every fortnight, she’s not eligible for the $500 covid disaster payment.

“I’ve got savings to fall back on,” Jane told news.com.au. “But when thinking long term it is stressful because you don’t want to keep chipping away at them.”

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Jane has worked at Platypus for four years.

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“I’m losing about $900 to $1200 a fortnight,” Jane said.

“It is stressful not knowing when I’ll have a source of income again.”

She qualified for JobKeeper last year, but this time around is not entitled to any more government help.

She’s considered scrapping her youth allowance to receive the larger payment but is hesitant.

“I have another 1.5 to 2 years of uni left depending,” Jane said.

“And I don’t know if I can reapply after I get rid of it.”

In all, she’s worked at Platypus for four years.

Daniel Agostinelli, CEO of foot retailer Accent Group which operates brands including Platypus, wants JobKeeper to come back for workers like Jane.

“The best part of 4000 people (in the company) are affected,” he told news.com.au.

Accent Group has had to shut around 500 stores across NSW, Victoria and South Australia as all three states were plunged into lockdown.

The retail giant made the controversial decision last year to hold onto $9.6 million in extra funds from JobKeeper with the intention of spending that money to keep workers paid for future lockdowns.

“We’re very happy about the decision not to repay it, but as we guessed, there would be more lockdowns,” Mr Agostinelli said.

“That money would be used to keep people paid … It ran out early July.

“We’ve run out, that was caused because of the six or seven lockdowns, since we reported that number.”

He’s managed to keep some staff employed by keeping the customer call centres open, and stocking digital purchases.

But “the remainder have to go to the government” for help, according to Mr Agostinelli.

Last year, about 15 Accent stores had to close down permanently, after they were no longer economically viable.

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Daniel Agostinelli, CEO of foot retailer Accent Group.

Claire* has a chronic condition and has worked casually for women’s clothes retailer Seed in Sydney for the last two years.

She was stood down without pay in a company wide email on June 26.

“If you are a casual team member, regrettably any rostered shifts for this period are cancelled until further notice,” the email to Seed workers read.

Claire initially missed out on government support because she had more than $10,000 in her bank account.

With a chronic illness, she has built up savings to pay for “expensive” medical bills.

“For me I am a perfect example of someone who deserves the money but just wasn’t getting it due to one silly clause or reason,” the university student told news.com.au.

Kathmandu is one of several businesses forced to close its doors. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA NewsWire

“Why they (the government) choose $10,000 was strange, like don’t they want people to be saving what they earn anyway?” Claire continued.

“It was a disincentive circle.

“But after last year also, you would think people were saving more in case it all went pear-shaped again.”

Claire also didn’t qualify for JobKeeper last year, as she had only been at the company for eight months.

As she was under the age of 22, she also didn’t qualify for Jobseeker.

“When I originally wasn’t eligible for these payments I was so disheartened and felt let down, like I had again slipped through the casual worker cracks they don’t seem to be accounting for in their decisions,” she added.

“Usually, I earn $450 weekly but I have also been on uni holidays so was going to pick up more shifts, lunch covers etc.

“So I estimate overall I have not been able to earn a potential $3000 or more. Especially more if (lockdown is) extended.”

Janice* is a seasonal worker at a ski shop in Sydney’s north. She effectively lost all her income in one night.

Janice is losing $400 every week of lockdown.

“All my shifts were taken away at the end of June with no email,” Janice told news.com.au.

“I was told that the shop would remain open with ‘skeleton staff’ which meant, being a small family-owned business, that the owner and his wife would be the only people working.

“When the stricter orders for retail came into place, we received an email that explained we were closed, and with the lockdown looking like it’s going to be extended and the ski season usually finishing up late September (or) early October, and no market for international skiing this season, my boss has said that we will not have shifts for the foreseeable future as the lockdown continues, and possibly after.”

Janice is able to receive the $500 covid disaster payment.

“Not nearly as much money as I would likely be making this time of year,” she said, estimating she would make $900 at peak season if lockdown hadn’t been called.

Empty streets and buildings closed in the city as Sydney enters its fourth week of lockdown due to the current Covid-19 outbreak. A quiet George St. Picture: Toby Zerna

Workers in the travel industry have also been affected.

The Australian Services Union‘s Assistant National Secretary Emeline Gaske said earlier this week: “Due to last year’s lockdown many Qantas workers have already sold their house, drained their superannuation savings or liquidated other assets.

“Workers have been hanging on by a thread and they simply can’t afford delay – we need swift, decisive action from the Federal Government or people will slip through the net.

“If workers are forced into an unpaid stand down and JobKeeper is not reinstated by the Federal Government, many workers and their families will be left destitute.”

News.com.au reached out to the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s office for comment.

His office referred to an interview with Sky News on Wednesday.

“JobKeeper was based on the decline in the businesses’ turnover and then payments were made effectively to the worker,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“What we’ve done here is provide them directly to the worker, not dependent on a business’s decline in turnover …

“And these payments also are going to people who are casuals, for example, and not all casuals were captured in the JobKeeper arrangements.

“So we do have an effective response. It is being progressed very quickly with more than half a million payments out the door – more than $200 million already out the door.”

Police at Bondi, as cases climbed to 136. Picture: John Grainger

Two other retail workers, Greg* and Emily*, have no idea when their next pay check is coming through.

“I haven’t been notified of anything (of when work goes back) and my last pay check from when lockdown started has already come through,” Greg, who works at a brand outlet in David Jones, told news.com.au.

Emily, a Cotton On worker from Sydney’s south, wants JobKeeper back.

“I understand the government has never dealt with this but I think there’s a better way to ensure that everyone is compensated for lost work and I think JobKeeper is that as it worked well,” she said.

*Names withheld over privacy concerns

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