One million Aussie workers dudded

A BLEAK new report shows one in 10 working Australians – more than a million of us – rarely or never receive the minimum wage from our employers.

Workforce management software provider Kronos found almost half of Australians said they were not always paid for work carried outside of their shift hours, including meetings and training, and 11 per cent said their pay did not accurately correspond to the hours worked.

Kronos ANZ managing director Peter Harte said: “It’s disappointing to learn that even in today’s mature economy, a large number of Australians are being exploited in the workplace, at a time when wage growth is slow and many people are working harder than ever.

“The practice is also illegal with significant penalty rates for those businesses found to breach regulations.”

According to the report, 43 per cent of Australians said that during the course of their working life they had worked for an Australian employer who paid them less than the minimum wage.

More than 15 per cent said they were aware of situations where they were paid differently to their shortchanged migrant colleagues, and a quarter had been paid cash in hand to avoid paying tax.

“The situation is not ideal for building the thriving and intelligent economy Australia needs to compete in the international marketplace,” Mr Harte said.

“Given the complexity of workplace regulations and the changes that can occur annually, we understand it is not always easy for businesses to keep up to date.”

One of the worst sectors for wage theft is hospitality.

Shine Lawyers employment law expert Will Barsby said when people didn’t know their rights, some employers were all too willing to take advantage.

“Whether it’s a big, small or medium business, the most common worker is young, unskilled or a migrant, so really it’s a hotspot for exploitation,” he said.

“People are desperate to work and it’s a recipe for exploitation. Underpayment is definitely an issue. I see reports of these cases daily, particularly in backpacker centres in Far North Queensland and also in CBD locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

“It comes down to the fact that these people are vulnerable because working might be a condition of their visa, or they are travelling and need money, or they’re young and unskilled, and unfortunately it continues to be a problem.”

Bleak findings released by UNSW Sydney and UTS last week showed a third of backpackers and international students were paid half the legal minimum wage.

UTS senior law lecturer Laurie Berg said: “We have a really large silent underclass of invisible temporary workers who are being paid well below the minimum wage.”

Ms Berg, who co-authored the report, said 15 per cent of fruit and vegetable pickers were being paid less than $5 an hour.

“We also received indicators of much more serious exploitation which indicate criminal forced labour, for example,” she said.