More than 700 food services workers throughout Australia will be receive back pay totalling $470,000 following a national campaign to uphold their workplace rights by the Fair Work Ombudsman.The money – an average of $671 per employee – is being progressively reimbursed after the Ombudsman found they were underpaid. A six-month campaign targeted take-away food outlets, supermarkets, grocery stores, bread and cake shops, meat, fish and poultry distributors and dairy manufacturers. Of 481... ...Read more »

The federal workplace watchdog has launched a prosecution against a Newcastle bakery, alleging it failed to keep proper time-and-wages records for four former employees who claimed they had been underpaid.Under workplace law, employers must maintain time-and-wages records relating to employees and former employees and provide the records to workplace inspectors on request. In documents lodged in the Chief Industrial Magistrate’s Court in Sydney, the Fair Work Ombudsman alleges that Newcastle... ...Read more »

The operators of a Donut King store in Tasmania have been penalised almost $60,000 after admitting they pressured nine teenage workers to sign workplace agreements that reduced their penalty rates.Primrose Development Company Pty Ltd was fined $53,601.25 and company director and part-owner Judith Ann Simmonds, of Bellerive, was fined $6398.75 in the Federal Magistrates Court. Primrose has now paid $2490 compensation to the teenage workers. The company also admitted breaching workplace law by failing... ...Read more »

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Australia’s largest business representative, has described today’s decision by the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) to maintain minimum wages at current levels as the best outcome for both employers and employees, and most importantly, one which will protect jobs. “It is a decision that is consistent with what should be Australia’s key priorities at this time – the ongoing viability of Australian businesses... ...Read more »

The operators of a former Melbourne restaurant which paid a full-time cook less than $10,000 for 18 months’ work have been fined more than $180,000.The Federal Workplace Ombudsman prosecuted businessman Poh Meng Hong for underpaying staff at his former Malaysian restaurant at Box Hill. In the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday, Magistrate Kate Hawkins imposed a $158,400 penalty against Penang Kayu Nasi Kander Pty Ltd, which formerly traded as Kayu@Boxhill. The Court also handed down a $25,000... ...Read more »

Today leading restaurateurs met in Sydney to discuss the impact of proposed Award Modernisation laws, which would see the federal hotels award apply to restaurants. The meeting, which included prominent industry leaders like Peter Doyle (Peter Doyle at the Quay), Matt Moran (Aria), Con Dedes (Flying Fish), Tonci Farak (Wildfire), Tony Bilson (Bilson’s) and Brien Trippas (AIH), was convened to discuss the way forward for the industry. The group decided that the highest priority is halting the... ...Read more »

A fast-food franchise in Perth’s CBD has been forced to back-pay many of its teenage workers $50,000 following investigations by the Federal Workplace Ombudsman. Workplace Ombudsman Western Australian Director Leigh Quealy advised that, after checking employment records, inspectors discovered 33 young staff had been short-changed an average $1500 each. He says his office is now considering legal action against the franchise, part of a national take-away food chain. Mr Quealy revealed the underpayments... ...Read more »

The Federal Workplace Ombudsman is concerned that large numbers of young people and migrant workers might be being short-changed by fast-food employers. “The preliminary findings of random audits of the fast-food sector suggest there is a lack of awareness among employers of their workplace obligations,” State Director Leigh Quealy said. Mr Quealy advised that almost half of the 120 employers scrutinised by his inspectors so far were failing to comply with workplace laws. The Western... ...Read more »

Harvey Beef, Western Australia’s biggest abattoir, could be forced to shut down after workers rejected a 3 year workplace agreement for the second time yesterday. The first pay deal was rejected earlier this month, with 160 workers since made redundant. 115 employees voted against accepting the agreement, as opposed to 99 in favour, which would have led to a pay cut of up to 20% pay for a third of its workforce, for 3 years. Harvey Beef has since indicated it may have come to an alternative,... ...Read more »

Ricegrowers Ltd, which trades as SunRice and is one of the world’s largest branded rice companies, has been forced to “downscale” operations as a result of the impact of the drought on their harvest. The actions of the company to cope with the expected low 2009 crop of around 75,000 tonnes were today passed onto employees and shareholders of the company. The company has the capacity to handle 1.2 million tonnes each year and this year’s shortfall comes after last year’s... ...Read more »