Workers paid as little as $10 an hour get their money back

Date
    March 17, 2016
    The Age

June 2015: Australia's lowest paid workers receive the smallest minimum wage increase in years, with the Fair Work Commission raising the minimum hourly wage to $17.29 an hour, up 42 cents.

Two Sydney workers who were paid just $10 an hour are among a group of employees who have been backpaid more than $50,000 after the Fair Work Ombudsman helped settle their pay disputes.

An 18-year-old receptionist who worked for a business in Redfern was short-changed $8100. Her co-worker, a 39-year-old administrative assistant, was underpaid $6400. Both were entitled to more than $17 an hour.

The Fair Work Ombudsman intervened after their efforts to settle the dispute had failed.


The business has reimbursed all outstanding entitlements to both employees.


The Ombudsman recovered $22.3 million for 11,613 underpaid workers across the country in the last financial year. This included $6.8 million for 2799 NSW employees. Of those, 542 were in Sydney who recovered $1.1 million.

Recent repayments for inner-Sydney workers also include $17,000 for an administrative employee at a Darlinghurst business whose redundancy entitlements were not paid.

An information technology worker in Surry Hills who did not receive his accrued annual leave and long service leave entitlements after he resigned was repaid $7400.

Six deckhands working for a Harbour cruise company that underpaid their overtime entitlements received $6600.

A CBD shop manager who was not paid her accrued annual leave and redundancy entitlements on termination received $6000.

All businesses back-paid employees in full without the need for enforcement action.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says employers must ensure they understand the wage rates that apply to their business, including minimum hourly rates, penalty rates and termination entitlements.

Ms James encouraged employers and employees who had any uncertainty about their workplace practices and entitlements to visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline for advice on 13 13 94.

It's the Ochlocrats that are ripping off the progressive tax slaves to the tune of around $168 Billion dollars per annum.