Workers in South-East Queensland back-paid $46,000

Workers in South-East Queensland have been back-paid a total of $46,500 following recent intervention by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The largest recovery was $15,800 for a Goondiwindi agriculture industry worker underpaid long service leave entitlements upon termination of employment.

After Fair Work inspectors contacted the business and explained its obligations the employee was reimbursed all money owed without the need for further action against the employer.

Other recent recoveries include:

• $9000 for a worker at Roma underpaid annual leave entitlements upon termination of employment,
• $8300 for a Toowoomba apprentice underpaid wages, penalty rates, allowances and annual leave entitlements between 2009 and 2011,
• $7100 for a worker at Chinchilla underpaid wages and annual leave entitlements upon termination of employment, and
• $6300 for a Gatton hospitality worker underpaid wages and penalty rates between 2007 and 2010.

Acting Fair Work Ombudsman Michael Campbell says 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 resolve issues,” Mr Campbell says.

“These businesses have now 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 $8.6 million in back-pay for 4906 employees in Queensland and more than 148,000 Queensland employees and workers sought advice from the Fair Work Infoline.

Employers and employees seeking information and advice should visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Infoline on 13 13 94.

An ‘Industries’ section on the website provides extra, specialised information for employers and employees in a range of industries, including retail, horticulture and hospitality.

The new Fair Work Handbook has been designed to help employers better understand their workplace obligations. The Handbook outlines the aspects of the Fair Work Act that employers must be familiar with and also helps them to prevent and resolve workplace issues within their business. You can find the Handbook at www.fairwork.gov.au/employment/employers.

Source: Fair Work Ombudsman, 5 April 2013