Workers in the Hunter region back-paid $41,000
Workers in the Hunter region have been back-paid a total of $41,400 following recent intervention by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The largest recovery was $16,100 for two workers at a Newcastle appliance retailer who were underpaid annual leave entitlements, allowances and wages in lieu of notice, when their employment was terminated.
After Fair Work Inspectors contacted the business and explained its obligations, the employees were reimbursed all money owed without the need for further action against the employer.
Other recent recoveries include:
- $7700 for a craftsman at Maitland who was underpaid redundancy entitlements upon termination of employment,
- $6900 for a community worker at Newcastle who was underpaid annual leave entitlements upon termination of employment,
- $5700 for a Newcastle retail assistant who was underpaid wages over a six-month period in 2011, and
- $5000 for a Newcastle hospitality worker underpaid for days owed in lieu of working public holidays and annual leave entitlements upon termination of employment.
Fair Work Ombudsman, Nicholas Wilson, said when our 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 resolve issues,” Mr Wilson said.
“In all these cases, the businesses have corrected the errors that led to the underpayments and put processes in place to ensure they will not happen again.”
Last financial year the Fair Work Ombudsman recovered just over $17.4 million in back-pay for 5066 workers in NSW and ACT.
More than 224,000 employees and employers in NSW and ACT sought advice from the Fair Work Infoline in the last financial year.
Employers and employees seeking information and advice should visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Infoline on 13 13 94.'
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman, 19 March 2013
