Truck drivers among the 665 workers who recevied share of $700,000 in back-pay following Fair Work Ombudsman investigation
October 27, 2010
Truck drivers are among the 665 workers who shared in more than $700,000 in back-pay following workplace investigations by the Fair Work Ombudsman last financial year.
Regional Queensland inspectors visited hundreds of businesses in the Lockyer Valley, Brisbane Valley, Warwick and Dalby regions following-up worker complaints and conducting random audits.
The Ombudsman also covered all areas from Roma south and west to the Northern Territory border, recoginver $5600 for a driver of a Warwick transport operator who was underpaid penalty rates.
A Toowoomba truck driver has been reimbursed $2700 for being underpaid the correct hourly and penalty rates and annual leave entitlements.
Fair Work Ombudsman Executive Director Michael Campbell says the recoveries highlight the need for employers to understand their obligations to staff, including applicable wages rates and conditions.
The Ombudsman does not name the companies involved unless it decides to take the matter to court.
“In most cases, the Fair Work Ombudsman does not prosecute employers for inadvertent breaches of workplace law,” Campbell says.
“We have a flexible, fair approach and our preference is always to work with employers to educate them and help them voluntarily rectify any non-compliance issues we identify.”
Inspectors also recouped $60,000 for Gatton workers in the waste management industry after they were not paid their correct hourly and penalty rates.
The $700,000 forms part of the $4.25 million the Ombudsman recovered for 3749 underpaid Queensland employees last financial year.