One in three found to be ripping off workers

A FAIR Work Ombudsman audit has found 34 per cent of Tasmanian businesses it checked were failing their basic legal obligations to their staff.

An FWO audit of 1217 businesses nationwide has recovered $1,326,125 for underpaid employees in the hospitality, domestic construction, retail, manufacturing and administration services industries. The audit recovered $27,416 for 31 employees in Tasmania.

It began amid concerns many businesses were failing to pay staff at the correct rates, to provide proper pay slips and keep proper employment records, the FWO said.

Nationally, nearly half of the businesses audited failed to get the basic requirements right — with the majority of those businesses recording underpayments to workers and a lesser number failing to meet record keeping and pay slip obligations.

Hospitality was the least compliant industry with 61 per cent of audited businesses being found in breach.

Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said there was widespread ignorance among businesses about what their legal obligations were.

“Nearly three quarters of employers that breached the law said they weren’t aware of the rules, which is not an excuse,” she said.

“Businesses are failing the basic requirements of being a responsible employer if they are not carrying out adequate due diligence before hiring.

“Any employers with queries about pay and conditions and their lawful obligations to their employees should contact us for free advice.”

In response to the workplace law breaches, Fair Work Inspectors issued 24 on-thespot fines totalling $32,980 in penalties, 457 contravention letters, 56 formal cautions and 47 compliance notices.

Ms Parker said the FWO had a range of resources available to help employers ensure they were meeting their obligations and for employees to check they were receiving their proper legal entitlements.