[1]$532 million was recovered by The Fair Work Ombudsman owed to 384, 805 employees who were underpaid between 2021 and 2022. This sum is the largest of back-paid wages and entitlements for the highest number of workers.
Mr Stephen Roebuck, Head of Operations from Peninsula; Australia’s leading employment relations and workplace relations specialists commented, “If some of Australia’s leading companies with vast Human Resources are struggling to get wages correct, what hope is there for a small business owner with limited to nil skills or knowledge when it comes to wages and entitlements?
Many of these workers were vulnerable migrant workers who are unaware of their rights as an employee and are often unable to speak up due to language barriers.
“Many employers are operating in a complex and convoluted system that often creates so much risk with almost no margin for error and then punishes them for the mistakes made in miscalculating wages.
Peninsula wants to change this narrative, these are honest and hardworking people who have risked it all by starting a business. They are the backbone of the Australian economy, and they need our guidance and expertise to navigate the many challenges they face as business owners,” Mr Roebuck further commented.
“There are all manner of systems trying to catch underpayments, but very few that try to prevent it from happening in the first place. Our primary focus in Peninsula is to help build better businesses and support our clients so that they don’t have to shoulder the burden alone. At Peninsula, we help take the stress out of navigating tricky workplace and employment relations issues,” concluded Mr. Roebuck.
[1] Australian record for worker back-payments – Fair Work Ombudsman
