Underpaid worker gets money back
Lucy Vance had a problem when she went to work at Wollongong’s Lagoon Restaurant last year – she was being underpaid hundreds of dollars.
One of 13 workers – allegedly underpaid, or not paid at all, by their employers – her case was highlighted in an investigation by Fairfax Media into bosses underpaying young workers.
As a result of the investigation, all 13 had their cases taken up by the South Coast Labour Council.
Lucy was the first of the workers to be back-paid.
The details of her victory were revealed at a roundtable gathering of business and union representatives, politicians and young workers
“I was working there [the Lagoon] for about six weeks and it’s between a hundred and two hundred dollars per week that I worked there that I managed to get back,” Lucy told the Illawarra Mercury.
“That was usually two shifts, about nine hours a shift, so that was a fairly substantial amount of money at the time when I was working there, straight out of school.”
She said workers didn’t have to put up with that.
“Employers may try and make the most out of you, squeeze you dry, but stand strong and you will get action,” she said.
Lucy saw there was a problem three months after she quit the job when she spotted a Facebook post about young workers being underpaid. The person putting up the post Ashleigh Mounser, asked if anyone else had experienced similar treatment.
As a result, there were complaints from 67 young workers and Fairfax Media got onto it.
Lucy said justice was done after she was contacted by Labour council secretary Arthur Rorris.
“Through Arthur’s work, he was able to contact the Lagoon and then they agreed on the settlement rather quickly, actually,” she said.
“They’re now paying all employees by the award rates, when previously they weren’t.”
According to Mr Rorris, Lucy’s employer came forward “very quickly” and “rectified the mistake”.
The NSW Labor Party plans to make widespread underpayment of young workers a priority in its policy planning ahead of the 2019 state election.
by Leon Gettler, March 1st 2017
