A number of bars along Melbourne's popular Chapel Street were raided by Fair Work inspectors on Wednesday night after a number of workers made complaints about underpayments. The bars targeted by the workplace watchdog are all owned by the La…
There are renewed calls for the federal government to introduce criminal sanctions for wage theft, following the revelation that celebrity chef George Calombaris underpaid hundreds of workers almost $8 million. The latest underpayments scandal follows another last year, when Calombaris…
Industrial Relations Claims is reminding employers that the new national minimum wage is now in effect, increasing to $19.49 per hour, or $740.80 per week. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, compliance issues can often be traced back to when…
Business lobby groups that continually claim that wage theft is not deliberate, but rather the result of 'innocent' mistakes made by employers are nonsense, according to industrial relations experts. "We constantly hear from business groups that wage theft shouldn't even…
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker has promised a stronger approach to enforcement against businesses that commit wage theft, but the regulator will still give priority to vulnerable groups like overseas workers instead of Australian nationals. The stronger focus on enforcement…
One of the country's leading industrial relations experts is calling for schools to teach teenagers about their workplace rights before they enter the workforce, including how to deal with wage theft, discrimination and sexual harassment. Miles Heffernan, Litigation Director of…
The operator of an Indian restaurant in Sydney is facing court action for allegedly failing to pay compensation to a cook who had been unfairly dismissed. The compensation was ordered by the Fair Work Commission last year, after it found…
Many inner city cafes and restaurants were charging customers a public holiday surcharge today, despite recent cuts to penalty rates for hospitality staff. Since July 2017, workers in hospitality have had their weekend and public holiday penalty rates slashed by…
The operator of a Thai restaurant in the Brisbane CBD has agreed to overhaul their workplace practices after they were caught underpaying three international students more than $27,000. The Phat Elephant restaurant and its own Alyssa Phadungkiat have entered into…
The owner of an Indian restaurant on the Gold Coast is lucky to have avoided legal action after he was caught underpaying his workers more than $54,000. Instead of taking Sridhar Penumechchu (pictured) to court, the Fair Work Ombudsman offered…
