Workers lose out on millions in wage theft

MILLIONS of dollars has gone missing from workers’ wallets in Queensland because of “serious, widespread and persistent’’ wage theft, according to evidence to a parliamentary inquiry yesterday.

The Master Electricians told the inquiry criminal charges may be appropriate for serious cases of wage theft, while group training company East Coast Apprentices said more than $100 million could have been lost from apprentice paypackets because of errors made in determining whether they were paid under Queensland or federal awards.

Most witnesses said the complexity of the awards made it almost impossible for small businesses to understand because in one example a worker may need to be paid a height allowance even when he or she is working on an underground car park because there were likely to be floors below them.

The inquiry was also told that, over a four-year apprenticeship, small mistakes in paying allowances and penalties could “easily’’ add up to $20,000.

East Coast Apprentices executive Alan Sparks gave an example of underpaying citing advertisements on Seek.com.au for experienced carpenters paying $25 to $30 an hour.

“The cost of an apprentice is $25 to $38 an hour,’’ he said.

“We are not playing on a level playing field.’’

University of Queensland associate professor David Morrison told the inquiry there were plenty of laws around, but they were not being implemented.