A cleaner at Tanunda in South Australia has been back paid $29,200 for being underpaid the minimum hourly rate, as well as penalty rates for overtime, weekend and evening work between 2005 and 2011. This is just one of many salary recoveries following a recent intervention by the Fair Word Ombudsman (FWO), stated a 27 May press release.
‘Acting Fair Work Ombudsman, Michael Campbell, said many of the underpayments were a result of employers not being fully aware of the minimum pay rates their employees were entitled to.’
Campbell said that if employers take the time to get the basics right, they should find that everything else starts to fall into place. “That means knowing what modern award or agreement applies to employees, the correct classifications for employees and the minimum pay rates that apply,” he said.
“If small errors in wages and entitlements are left unchecked, they can mount up and result in employers needing to make significant back-payments of thousands of dollars. This is why it’s important that employers ensure they get it right the first time around.”