Extraordinary moment Today host Allison Langdon tells a fast food worker he should 'GET A JOB in another industry' - as Australia faces its worst jobless crisis in decades with 1.3 million already unemployed
- Allison Langdon told worker maybe he should 'get a job' in a different industry
- Comments to Laurence Sadler after he raised health and safety concerns
- Mr Sadler is a union rep and also works for a national fast-food chain
- Australia's unemployment rate is soaring because of COVID-19 lockdown
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Today host Allison Langdon told a fast food worker to consider getting a job in a different industry after he raised concerns about workers' safety during COVID-19.
The breakfast presenter made the comment to Laurence Sadler, who works for a national fast-food chain and is also a Hospo Voice union representative, on Friday morning after he detailed health and safety concerns he had for the industry.
The remark was met with an awkward laugh and silence, before Ms Langdon quickly moved onto the next segment on the breakfast TV program.
Mr Sadler told Daily Mail Australia if every hospitality worker left their job the TV host wouldn't have anywhere to buy a takeaway coffee.
‘It’s nil. There’s no jobs. That’s just a fact. And also the kind of logic doesn’t really weigh up because I’d just told her how bad hospitality was for workers and she’s saying if it’s so bad then you should leave obviously the logic there is that everyone would leave because it’s bad for everyone then there would be no industry anymore and Allison would no longer be able to get takeaway coffees,’ Mr Sadler said.
‘I’ve been looking for jobs for ages, but you apply for 500 hospo jobs and you get two responses, so it’s not a very fruitful not mentally rewarding exercise… and it’s the lowest paid.’
He said he had been bracing for a difficult interview but he was still thrown by the comment at the end.
‘I wasn’t thrilled, it took me back a bit. It was already quite a hostile interview... it was a bit of a run the mill union bashing piece and I wasn’t expecting much more but it was still a bit of a rubbish comment,’ he said.
Laurence Sadler, (pictured) who works for a national fast-food chain and is also a Hospo Voice union representative was asked why he didn't just 'get a job in a different industry' after raising concerns about issues in the hospitality sector
‘I’ve been looking for jobs for ages, but you apply for 500 hospo jobs and you get two responses, so it’s not a very fruitful not mentally rewarding exercise… and it’s the lowest paid,’ Mr Sadlersaid (pictured top left)
Figures released on Thursday revealed 600,000 Australians have lost work since the pandemic began, but the figure is thought to be much higher at 1.3million.
Mr Sadler told the Today Show the hospitality sector is already plagued with issues without the added concern of staff contracting coronavirus.
'Hospitality is a really raw deal for workers. It often exploits the most vulnerable member of our society that is young and migrant workers... It's a really quite a dodgy industry for workers and we need to be vigilant against bosses who are willing to rort the rules to get a profit,' he said.
'Well maybe you should get a job in another industry then,' Ms Langdon said.
'Maybe,' Mr Sadler laughed uncomfortably.
'Yep,' Ms Langdon said after an awkward on-air silence.
The United Workers Union which oversees 'Hospo Voice' believes a decision to ease lockdown restrictions will put workers' safety at risk because of a lack of regulated health and hygiene measures.
Today host Allison Langdon told a fast food worker to consider getting a job in a different industry after he raised concerns about workers' safety during COVID-19
The breakfast presenter made the comment to Hospo Voice union representative Laurence Sadler (pictured) on Friday morning after he told the Today Show about industry health and safety concerns
Mr Sadler said 'the rush' to return to jobs is a 'dangerous step' considering COVID-19 is still in the community.
'Social distancing is really impossible for us and that's excluding the risk of an infection from a customer which will only increase now that businesses are reopening,' he said.
The hospitality sector is preparing for a big weekend as many states and territories across Australia begin to ease lockdown restrictions.
New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania will all progress plans to reopen cafes, bars and restaurants from today as part of a federal directive to get the economy moving.
Employment data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on Thursday revealed Australia's unemployment rate had surged to a five-year high due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Official figures recorded the loss of 600,000 Australian jobs since mid-March, but its' thought to be closer to 1.3 million, reported ABC news.
Woolworths' recruitment website crashed last month after it was flooded with job-hunters laid of across the country.
The hospitality sector is preparing for a big weekend as many states and territories across Australia begin to ease lockdown restrictions (Pictured: an empty restaurant at Sydney's Circular Quay)
