Domino's Pizza at Goodna is showing an appalling lack of commonsense by breaching basic workplace health and safety rules in forcing staff to break the law by standing in gorilla suits near a busy roundabout to advertise the store's pizza products.
How many of the staff have been told that it is an offence to stand on a footpath (which is legally defined as part of a road) waving a business placard and that the staff members are personally liable to a fine of $2000 for each offence.
That's about 6 months' pay for some of the junior workers.
This has been illegal in Queensland since 1967. The relevant provisions of the Queensland Traffic Regulation are set out below.
Has Domino's offered to pay any fines which might be imposed on staff by the police.
Whoever is managing the Goodna Store needs an immediate refresher course in what is illegal for staff to be asked to do.
For months, staff have been illegally standing on the footpath at the corner of Queen and Church Streets Goodna, 24km west of Brisbane, waving placards and distracting drivers at this very, very busy roundabout.
Today, they went totally over the top with one clown on the corner of Mill and Church Streets and another in a gorilla outfit on the footpath outside Red Rooster, running up and down with placards, both performing gymnastics and distracting drivers trying to negotiate this difficult 6-way roundabout.
How can Domino's justify placing young lives at risk by making them stand right next to a busy carriageway frantically waving signs for cheap pizzas, distracting drivers and potentially causing serious accidents.
This illegal practice must stop.
The Police need to crack down on this sort of unlawful stupidity.
The Police should take immediate action under section 7 of the Criminal Code against the store manager and Domino's itself if necessary for aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of an offence which renders such person liable to the same penalty ($2000) as if he or she had personally committed the offence.
Domino's will plead "harmless fun" but when you are breaking the law, endangering staff and endangering motorists, that's not fun - that just bloody hopeless.
Consumer Watch spokesman Paul Tully said: "This dangerous and idiotic practice is outlawed in Queensland and police should act decisively before a tragedy occurs".
Traffic Regulation 1962
126 Advertising, placards, handbills etc.
(1) A person shall not—
(a) upon any road for the purpose of business advertising—
(i) carry any advertisement, placard, board, notice or sign;
unless the person is the holder of a permit issued by the chief executive or commissioner authorising the person so to do and unless the person complies in every respect with the terms and conditions of such permit.
Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.
PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au
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