Queensland criminalises “wage theft” despite employer concerns

The National Retail Association (NRA) is disappointed that the Queensland Government today passed its “wage theft” legislation despite the...

The National Retail Association (NRA) is disappointed that the Queensland Government today passed its “wage theft” legislation despite the concerns of business groups. Despite serious questions as to the whether the legislation can actually be enforced under the Constitution, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and the State Director of Public...

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Presumptuous payroll rules end in heavy penalties for employer

By Alex Millman and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal In a stern warning for employers who “automate” certain parts of their...

By Alex Millman and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal In a stern warning for employers who “automate” certain parts of their payroll processes, the South Australian Employment Tribunal (the Tribunal) has slammed an employer with significant penalties for automatically deducting unpaid meal breaks from an employee’s day. The Tribunal also imposed penalties...

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No hibernation for the Fair Work Ombudsman: Record penalties secured for wage non-compliance

By Andrew Piper and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal The pandemic hasn’t hindered the Fair Work Ombudsman’s (the FWO) efforts...

By Andrew Piper and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal The pandemic hasn’t hindered the Fair Work Ombudsman’s (the FWO) efforts to investigate and prosecute wage non-compliance in the retail and fast food sectors. The FWO has recently secured record penalties against companies that have underpaid their workers and failed to...

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Ten years of Fair Work: Closing out the decade

By Calum Woods and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal With the year almost over, it’s time to reflect on the lessons...

By Calum Woods and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal With the year almost over, it’s time to reflect on the lessons learned in 2019, and prepare for the start of a new decade. In January, we predicted that compliance would continue to be a major factor affecting retail businesses, however for...

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Message from the CEO: 5 November 2019

Compliance with industrial relations laws in Australia can be highly complicated, but it’s something which all businesses need to...

Compliance with industrial relations laws in Australia can be highly complicated, but it’s something which all businesses need to understand. Wage compliance is a topic that has dominated headlines over the last 18 months. Businesses ranging from restaurant chains, to cosmetic stores and even the Australian Broadcasting Channel (ABC) have been found...

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Employer underpaying employees, spends night in jail

By Victoria Hansen and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal Following a night in jail, a Northern Queensland employer who underpaid his...

By Victoria Hansen and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal Following a night in jail, a Northern Queensland employer who underpaid his staff has won a stay on a 12 month jail term which was imposed for defying a court order. The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) who brought the case against the owner-operator...

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The crackdown on retailers and restaurants has begun

Retailers and restaurants targeted for underpayments and false records with massive fines Written by Sid Sidhu and Justine Ansell, NRA...

Retailers and restaurants targeted for underpayments and false records with massive fines Written by Sid Sidhu and Justine Ansell, NRA Legal The crackdown on retailers, fast food stores and restaurants avoiding their obligations has well and truly begun. As predicted, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has increased its auditing activity and...

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Sydney restaurant fined for underpayments

7-Eleven shop owners aren’t the only employers short-changing staff and deliberately ignoring workers’ rights. A Malaysian restaurant in inner Sydney...

7-Eleven shop owners aren’t the only employers short-changing staff and deliberately ignoring workers’ rights. A Malaysian restaurant in inner Sydney was last week fined almost $300,000 for using false records to disguise wage underpayments. Six staff members at the Mamak restaurant, five of which were visa-holders, were paid as little as...

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More 7-Eleven owners fined for underpayments

The Fair Work Ombudsman has taken legal action against another 7-Eleven franchisee for underpaying 12 employees. Couple Haiyao Xu...

The Fair Work Ombudsman has taken legal action against another 7-Eleven franchisee for underpaying 12 employees. Couple Haiyao Xu and Yiran Gu, who operated a 7-Eleven store in Parkville Melbourne, were found to have underpaid staff by over $84,000 while building up a near $3 million property portfolio. Judge Suzanne...

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