June
Unis should face inquiry into $380m in underpayments: academics’ union
Universities are the worst underpayers of staff across the economy and now the academics’ union wants a federal inquiry.
- Julie Hare
Ord Minnett breached laws by dodging paid leave, minimum wage: judge
The court ruling could expose the firm and the broader finance sector to major back-pay claims from advisers.
- Updated
- David Marin-Guzman
May
- Exclusive
- Workplace disputes
Accenture warned of ‘$40m back-pay risk’ for overtime
A former human resources executive claims she warned Accenture’s board it was at risk of having to pay up to $40 million to staff who worked excessive hours.
- David Marin-Guzman
April
Din Tai Fung fined $4m for ‘calculated scheme to rob employees’
Popular dumpling chain Din Tai Fung and two of its senior managers have been fined more than $4 million for a fraudulent scheme that underpaid the workforce and created fake pay records to conceal the truth.
- Updated
- David Marin-Guzman
March
Hemmes’ Merivale to pay out $18m in underpayment class action
The billion-dollar hospitality empire has settled a massive underpayment class action without admissions, but almost half that amount will go to lawyers.
- Updated
- David Marin-Guzman
February
Court whacks CBA with record $10m fine for wage theft
The ruling is the first time a major corporation has faced fines for serious breaches of underpayment laws.
- David Marin-Guzman
December 2023
Hire firm used ‘below award’ business model for decades: ruling
A subsidiary of the country’s largest listed labour-hire company has been forced to pay workers penalty rates and overtime for the first time in 20 years.
- Updated
- David Marin-Guzman
University wage theft tops $159m: union tally
The majority of universities have now been involved in short-changing some 100,000 staff, with unions saying there is a crisis of accountability in the sector.
- David Marin-Guzman
Landmark wage theft case collapses
The Victorian government’s wage cop has dropped its first criminal case over underpayments, signalling the potential end of the state’s wage theft jurisdiction.
- David Marin-Guzman
November 2023
Billabong exposed as penalty rates dodger
One of Australia’s best-known surf labels has been forced to pay hundreds of retail staff penalty rates for the first time in eight years as the retail union targets a new wave of zombie deals.
- David Marin-Guzman
October 2023
Aldi accused of ‘deliberate’ wage theft worth $150m
The supermarket group is facing a class action for allegedly underpaying more than 20,000 current and former workers more than $150 million.
- David Marin-Guzman
Year of reckoning: how sexual assault caught up with Australia’s universities
The departure of Catriona Jackson, chief executive of Universities Australia, could provide a circuit breaker for the under-fire sector. But will it be enough?
- Julie Hare
New workplace watchdog backs ‘collaborative’ approach to wage theft
Anna Booth, the newly appointed Fair Work Ombudsman, says her tendency is to be “cooperative and collaborative”, potentially signalling a shift in strategy that could better engage business.
- David Marin-Guzman
September 2023
UNSW ‘knowingly’ kept poor pay records in face of underpayments
The workplace watchdog has launched court action against the university over payroll practices so inadequate it could not work out if casual academics were underpaid.
- David Marin-Guzman
Court fight could leave business facing ‘overlapping’ wage theft laws
State Labor governments are arguing their wage theft laws can co-exist with federal underpayment laws, risking the prospect of multiple criminal regimes for business.
- David Marin-Guzman
CBA could face $13m fine for underpayments
The workplace watchdog is calling for the bank to be fined $12.8 million for “knowingly” short-changing thousands of workers. But that would still be less than the total underpayment.
- David Marin-Guzman
CBA should suffer highest penalty for $16m underpayment, court told
The Fair Work Ombudsman says maximum fines for the Commonwealth Bank ‘knowingly’ underpaying thousands of staff is necessary to deter other well-resourced employers.
- David Marin-Guzman
Spotless faces criminal charges over $17k in leave underpayments
Victoria’s wage theft agency filed the charges, saying the amount of underpayment “never tells the full story”.
- David Marin-Guzman
August 2023
CBA to backpay staff ‘$3m’ for missing tea breaks
Commonwealth Bank will backpay thousands of branch staff after failing to pay them 10-minute tea breaks over at least six years.
- David Marin-Guzman
Woolworths faces criminal prosecution over leave underpayments
The retail giant is facing more than 1000 criminal charges for allegedly failing to pay long service entitlements. But some employers have warned of overreach.
- David Marin-Guzman
