Hospitality workers are scared, anxious and terrified as predictions climb about the number of job losses and business closures expected in the industry.
The Hospitality Association says 10 per cent of bars and restaurants are set to close in the next fortnight.
And while 10,000 jobs have been lost already, it expects that to climb to a whopping 50,000.
Worker Madeleine Tate told 1 NEWS she was made redundant from a job she loved in the first lockdown and it’s an experience she “wouldn’t wish on anyone”.
And hospitality advocate Chloe King says she’s inundated with complaints from upset workers who say they haven’t been paid, despite the wage subsidy being received by their employers.
Over $13 billion dollars has been handed out in the wage subsidy – but close to $400 million of that has been repaid.
The Social Development Ministry says there’s been 3,500 complaints about misuse of the subsidy and about 10 per cent of those are being investigated.
No prosecutions have yet been laid.
The Hospitality Association says the Government “urgently” needs to come up with a targeted support package for the industry.
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