Australian jewellery retailer Lovisa could face a class action suit from former employees over allegations of underpayment and mistreatment.
Specialist law firm Adero has received intel into the unfair practices at certain Lovisa stores and potential breaches of the enterprise agreement.
“We are investigating the underpayments on behalf of casual, part-time and full-time employees of Lovisa. This includes team members, senior stylists, assistant store managers, store managers, inventory managers and any other in-store employees,” said the firm.
“We would seek to recover underpayments due to breaches of the Lovisa Enterprise Agreement 2014, owed to current and former employees from 2016 to the current date.”
The firm asserts that staff were directed not to take toilet breaks during periods of extended shifts and work pre and post-shift hours without any compensation. Employees who served additional hours during Christmas sales periods were not paid appropriate overtime rates.
Supporting the claim, a former Sydney employee Marissa Tukuafu posted a series of videos on TikTok elaborating on the “traumatic” work culture she and her colleagues had to endure while working at Lovisa.
In footage obtained by News.com.au, Tukuafu recounts “throwing up” and “urinating behind the counter” due to a lack of breaks.
In the comment section, another employee claimed she had lost 5kgs in a month while another said she has “nightmares” about working there.
“If these practices have occurred across Lovisa stores, Adero may pursue a class action against Lovisa and seek that compensation be paid to any employee whose entitlements were not paid in full.”
The firm is currently seeking former employee registration for the purpose of completing the necessary investigations prior to the commencement of the claim.
Despite ongoing mayhem, the retailer announced last month that it plans to expand internationally as sales continue to boom across its network.
