Domino’s Pizza made $92 million in net profit last year. Now, they are giving back.

The company’s “Give for Good” initiative, in partnership with the Smith Family, has announced that it will provide disadvantaged students financial assistance to buy “textbooks, stationery and other learning resources”. John Harney, the “Head of Giving”, hopes the scheme will “ease the burden” on struggling students.

Domino’s is deeply invested in student poverty. Many of the workers cooking pizzas and zipping around on scooters to deliver them are, in fact, impoverished students. In keeping with the company’s commitment to “ethical, sustainable and responsible business practices”, the Domino’s enterprise agreement sets payments at below the minimum wage. No staff member is entitled to penalty rates. In Queensland, an adult delivery driver would barely scrape an income above the poverty line after a 38-hour week on $14.69 an hour.

There are currently 26 live investigations into underpayment and wage fraud at Domino’s franchises around Australia. But how can we hold this against them now that they are to help students buy pens?

Nobody can accuse Domino’s of being an unscrupulous company that contributes to the epidemic of student poverty in Australia. The “Give for Good” program shows that workers at Domino’s are being ripped off for a noble cause.