Staff members at Joe's Shoe Store say they were sacked for various puzzling reasons. Image / News.com.au
Locals line the bar and pack into the beer garden at Joe's Shoe Store in Northcote, a short tram ride to the north from Melbourne's CBD.
It's loud and laid back, just like any many of a handful of similar bars catering to a regular crowd that hops from one to the other on bustling High Street.
There are booths at the back and a narrow corridor that leads to an outdoor area that gets more crowded as the night drags on.
At first glance, it's everything you could want in a wine bar — unpretentious, busy, with friendly staff and plenty of space.
But dig a little deeper and problems start to emerge.
One staff member says he's been undervalued and underpaid for years.
Text messages between another staff member and her boss reveal she was sacked after asking for two days off and querying whether public holiday penalty rates apply.
The young woman, who did not wish to be named, texted one of the owners to talk about rosters.
"What's the system for letting you know my availability, is it all via text? And how frequently do rosters come out?" she wrote, alongside a smiling emoji.
This is the text exchange that followed.
In December last year, four casual staff at Joe's were fired because they didn't attend a "compulsory" Christmas party and paintball day one hour outside Melbourne.
The four bar staff say they got confused about who was driving and later realised nobody had a car.
Alfonzo Elizondo, a bartender and kitchen worker who moved from Mexico in 2006 and started working at the Northcote bar in 2012, was one of them.
The next day Alfonzo was dragged into a meeting with his bosses. He says he was told they "were not impressed by what you did yesterday and there's no more shifts for you".
When he protested, they allegedly told him: "We don't wanna hear your blah, blah, blah."
Alfonzo says his former bosses told him "business is business" and "don't worry, we're firing the other ones (who didn't attend) too."
He says they followed through with that promise and let go of all four staff who were absent from the party.
In a statement sent to news.com.au, the management team from Joe's Shoe Store and Uncle Joe's said it was "not uncommon for some staff to leave and new staff to be employed".
"While it is inappropriate to comment on individual cases, if a staff member is not meeting the fair and reasonable expectations of the employer, the situation is dealt with in accordance with the relevant employment legislation," they said.
"Invariably, employees are afforded an opportunity to rectify any performance concerns or address any behavioural issues. Where such issues persist, the employment relationship may come to an end."
Responding to questions about whether staff were paid penalty rates, the management team said there had been a recent "administrative error" that resulted in staff being paid "at an incorrect rate".
"The management team is working constructively with the relevant union and with impacted staff to rectify the situation," they said.
The treatment of those who work there emerged last week when Alfonzo wrote a scathing message online.
"Every Northcote local has heard of the cocktail bar, Joe's Shoe Store," he wrote on a petition calling for locals to "condemn" the Northcote establishment.
"What patrons don't know is how this bar, and its sister-venue Uncle Joe's, treat their staff like dirt.
"They think they can get away with treating us like this because we're casual workers. But I've had enough. How can they believe it's reasonable to fire us for not attending a party? I'm calling on you to stand with me in condemning Joe's Shoe Store and Uncle Joe's."
Joe's owners, supported by workplace relations consultancy Clyde Industrial, met with Alfonzo and members from hospitality union Hospo Voice this week after a number of negative reviews were posted online.
Alfonzo was not offered his job back, and says he would not have accepted it had the offer been made.
But he said owners made promises to change the way they dealt with staff.
The fallout meanwhile is affecting Joe's Shoe Store's sister business Uncle Joe's in Brunswick East. One online review reads: "Good location, decent wine list. Only downside is they occasionally fire everybody in the business for refusing to play paintball with the bosses."
The business's Facebook page is littered with comments about the way staff are treated.