The surprising salary of a McDonald’s general manager has been revealed in an unfair dismissal case, and it’s far more than the average Aussie earns.
Former manager Matthew Laurence alleged in the Fair Works Commission that he was unfairly dismissed from his job with NGI Holdings on February 20 this year.
The company owns and operates nine McDonald’s restaurants in southern NSW and regional Victoria.
But in a decision published on September 20, it was revealed Mr. Laurence’s claim was dismissed because his salary exceeded the high-income threshold.
At the time of Mr Laurence’s dismissal, the high-income threshold was $162,000 Australian dollars ($104,000 USD).
In his job at NGI Holdings, Mr Laurence received an annual salary of $144,043.95 Australian dollars ($93,000 USD).
But NGI principal Edward Aldridge successfully argued that the additional perks of the job, including a company car and weekly flights, pushed Mr Laurence’s salary over the high-income limit.
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In his work, Mr Laurence received the full personal use of a VX Touareg totalling $31,112.900 Australian dollars, almost $2000 Australian dollars for a parking spot, a monthly personal allowance of $2400 Australian dollars and a clothing allowance of $2,321.88 in Australian dollars.
The former employee moved to the Gold Coast with his family in June 2022 and flew interstate to work three days a week, working from home the rest of the time.
Mr Laurence had told Mr Aldridge the move was “non-negotiable”, the court heard.
While Mr Laurence had previously been paid a $20,000 ($13,000 USD) bonus, after the move, his flights to and from Queensland were covered instead, totalling $27,426.92.
With all the perks included, Mr Laurence’s yearly income from the company came to $206,592 ($132,000 USD).
The average Australian full-timer, by contrast, earns about $95,600 ($61,500 USD) per year, according to Forbes.
Commissioner Chris Simpson found the additional work perks counted towards Mr Laurence’s salary, meaning his earnings “far exceed the high-income threshold”.
