The Fair Work Ombudsman today announced that it is making surprise inspections of farms and eateries on the Sunshine Coast this week to verify if workers are being paid correctly.
According to the FWO, inspectors are inspecting roughly 35 businesses in the region with a particular focus on growers, labour-hire companies, and food outlets to access compliance with workplace laws. These businesses will range from Noosa to the Hinterland and are occurring following reports of potential non-compliance including unlawfully low flat rates, below-Award rates to visa holders, unpaid casual, weekend, and public holiday loadings and leave entitlements, unauthorised deductions, and pay slip breaches.
Recent snap inspections by the FWO recovered more than $680,000 in unpaid wages from workers in Melbourne, so we strongly encourage businesses to take this opportunity to ensure that they are paying staff correctly. If your business has not done so recently, we strongly encourage taking a moment to review your employment processes, pay rates, and contracts to ensure that you are meeting all your requirements.
If you need help updating your employment contracts or workplace policies (or have any other employment law questions), please contact Aspen ([email protected]) or Matthew ([email protected]) or call our office on (07) 5479 2457.
Disclaimer: please note that this article is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Australian law is complex and ever changing, and you should always obtain advice specific to your circumstances from a qualified legal practitioner. The value of penalty units also changes from time to time. If you require advice, please contact us on (07) 5479 2457 or at [email protected] to see how we can help.