Almost $60k back-pay for Moreton Bay workers
Seven workers in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland have been back-paid a total of $58,400 following recent intervention by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The largest recovery was $10,700 for a shop assistant at Redcliffe.
The female employee in her 40s lodged a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman after she was underpaid the minimum hourly rate for two years between 2010 and 2012.
After a Fair Work inspector contacted the business and explained its obligations, the employee was promptly reimbursed without the need for further action.
Other recent recoveries include:
- $10,000 for a Clontarf apprentice underpaid the minimum hourly rate, penalty rates, allowances and annual leave entitlements,
- $9600 for a Caboolture office manager not paid redundancy entitlements on termination of her employment,
- $9000 for a Lawnton administration worker underpaid annual leave entitlements,
- $7700 for a Brendale labourer underpaid redundancy entitlements on termination of employment,
- $6400 for a tradesman near Caboolture not paid redundancy entitlements on termination of employment,
- $5000 for a labourer at Caboolture underpaid the minimum hourly rate, penalty rates and allowances,
Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson says that when Fair Work inspectors identify a problem and contact a business, most employers check their records, realise a problem has occurred and fix it immediately.
“When we find mistakes, we’re here to assist and give practical advice to employers on how to voluntarily fix them,” Mr Wilson says.
“The businesses involved have now corrected the errors that led to the underpayments and put processes in place to ensure they will not happen again.”
Mr Wilson says the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Assisted Voluntary Resolution team is now achieving resolution of about half its referrals within the first month.
Workers or employers seeking support should get in touch with the Fair Work Ombudsman via the website - www.fairwork.gov.au - or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94.
Source: NSW Fair Work Ombudsman, 5 September 2012
