One of Australia's leading hospitality groups, Merivale, has been accused of fostering a culture that places women at risk, condones drug use by staff and patrons and fails to adequately address claims of sexual assault.
Merivale operates more than 80 venues, including Pool Club in its Ivy precinct in Sydney.A former Merivale staff member says she was raped by a colleague and required to keep working alongside him.
Another former staff member alleges she was grabbed by two men while on shift, including one who placed an arm around her neck, but when she reported the assault to her manager, she was criticised.The former staff member also told the ABC drug use was allowed and at times encouraged while working at the Hemmesphere bar in central Sydney.
While having a night out with friends, the former staff member, who has asked not to be named for privacy reasons, alleges she was drugged and raped by her colleague. "I just kind of went well I'm not really prepared to make a police report and I had at that point told them that I had already dealt with the police on an issue like this previously and I didn't feel comfortable going back.One of the managers then texted her a link to the Employee Assistance Program counselling offered to all Merivale employees, but she said there was no further support.
"It's not okay to think there could be people working there now that are going through the same thing and I doubt HR's changed their processes and it'll keep happening until someone says you need to change," she said.The ABC's investigation has uncovered other allegations of women being placed at risk in Merivale venues.
"And then when I tried to walk away, the other one of them grabbed me with his arm around the neck to kind of bear hug me.Hemmesphere, Merivale's cocktail bar in central Sydney.The former staff member said she told her manager that she felt "really uncomfortable" and that the men had been "really rapey".
In response, a Merivale spokesperson said: "Based on the limited information provided, we are not able to sensibly respond … To that point, we need written consent from any employee for Merivale to respond to any questions about anything alleged to have occurred during their employment."Presented as 'sex workers'
"Immediately we were handed drinks by two girls who had light sticks and were pouring vodka into our glasses," Jess said.According to a bookings website the service costs between $880 and $1,320 and includes a dedicated host and bottle service. Jess said she went and found her friends and immediately told them what had happened before leaving the venue.
"I'm not against the sex industry … I'm not against people being involved in that if it's a consensual mutually understood concept.
Ivy Hemmesphere Coogee Pavilion Merivale Hospitality Sexism Harassment Assault Rape
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