A transport company ignorant of workplace tallies more than $39,000 in underpayments to employees over a 12-month period
May 7, 2013
A freight transport firm’s ignorance of workplace laws has come back to haunt it, with the company required to back-pay 47 employees almost $40,000 in unpaid entitlements.
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) uncovered a litany of workplace breaches inside the business, based in Melbourne’s west, during a recent inspection.
Inspectors found the company failed to pay correct wages, overtime rates, penalty rates and allowances over a 12-month period, tallying $39,700 in underpayments.
“The underpayment was the result of the employer’s lack of awareness of the entitlements payable to their employees under the applicable award,” the FWO says in a statement.
Acting Fair Work Ombudsman Michael Campbell says the business cooperated with inspectors and employees to reimburse employees without the need for further action.
He says processes have been put in place to ensure the errors will not happen again.
The Ombudsman has used the results of the inspection to urge employers to make use of resources on its website to determine the pay rates and entitlements that apply to staff.
It says the site contains industry-specific information for employers and employees in a range of industries, including transport.
