Casual cooks, kitchen hands, grounds people, cleaners and food and beverage attendants at a hospitality business in Whyalla have been underpaid almost $8,000.
The 13 staff members at the South Australian business were short-changed their minimum hourly rates, with the largest underpayment being $1,629.
Fair Work Ombudsman, Natalie James, said “Underpayment of hourly rates can result in employees being significantly underpaid if left unchecked for an extended period, which can leave businesses facing big back-payments they weren’t budgeting for.”
The news comes just one day after Fair Work revealed hospitality staff in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula had been packpaid $22,000. The two employees – one a waitress and restaurant supervisor at a local winery, and the other a barista at a local caf – were both paid a flat hourly rate which didn’t cover the penalty rates they were entitled to.