NEW SUBWAY PAY SCANDAL Guilty plea for freeway pursuit

THE Fair Work Ombudsman has recovered more than $80,000 in unpaid wages for 167 employees after investigating 22 Subway franchisees.

Inspectors targeted Subway franchisees in Victoria, NSW and Queensland after requests for assistance from employees and anonymous tip-offs.

Fair Work has refused to release the locations of the stores involved.

The FWO determined 18 of the 22 Subway franchisees were not compliant with workplace laws, recovering $81,638.82 in unpaid wages.

Inspectors interviewed Subway employees, managers and franchise owners, and analysed employment records and pay slips.

The FWO found employers failed to pay the employees minimum wages, failed to pay entitlements, failed to issue proper pay slips and did not keep proper records.

Inspectors issued seven compliance notices requiring employers to rectify breaches of the law, nine formal cautions putting franchises on notice, and nine on-the-spot fines for record-keeping and pay slip breaches totalling $5880.

The FWO has recovered almost $150,000 for underpaid Subway employees over the past two financial years.

“The FWO is concerned by the rates of noncompliance we have seen in the Subway franchise network and has a number of ongoing lines of inquiry,” a spokeswoman said.

“Half of the underpaid employees were young workers or from a migrant background, which can make them particularly vulnerable.”

Staff can contact the Fair Work Infoline on 131 394 or submit anonymous reports to the Fair Work Ombudsman online. A MAN is set to plead guilty to charges stemming from a police pursuit that came to a dramatic end on a busy Geelong freeway.

Jake Quinton, pictured, d appeared via video link at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court yesterday where his lawyer revealed he had reached a resolution with prosecutors.

The Corio man has been in custody since July 19, when a police vehicle was used to ram his Subaru into wire barriers on the Geelong Ring Road at Waurn Ponds.

A previous court hearing was told police rammed the car amid fears Mr Quinton was about to put other motorists at “extreme risk” b by trying to perform a U-turn into oncoming f freeway traffic.

Police had been following the 23-year-old after being alerted to alleged erratic behaviour at his home earlier. It is claimed Mr Quinton used a tomahawk to damage a fence, before venturing to his former workplace in South Geelong and demanding money.

Police allege he left the property and was involved in a collision at a Grovedale intersection, but departed the scene without exchanging details.

Mr Quinton is accused of later running a red light, driving at 150km/h and swerving through heavy traffic as police tried to intercept his vehicle along Colac Rd, Waurn Ponds.

He is facing charges including reckless conduct endangering life and dangerous driving while being pursued by police.

The court heard Mr Quinton’s guilty pleas will result in him breaching an existing community corrections order.

He was remanded until the plea hearing on November 27.