A manufacturer of custom-fit floor, boot and cargo mats for vehicles is being taken to court for alleged non-payment of an employee’s wages.
The Federal Circuit Court is set to hear the case against the Perth-based manufacturer Matcraft Pty Ltd, and its owner-operators husband and wife Paul and Leanne Ruthenberg, for non-payment of wages to a sewing machinist between July 2017 and June 2019, in breach of the Vehicle Manufacturing, Repair, Services and Retail Award 2010.
A Fair Work Inspector had issued a Compliance Notice ordering them company to calculate and back-pay the employee’s wages, but the company has yet to comply, citing reasons which the Fair Work Ombudsman found as “without reasonable excuse.”
Matcraft Pty Ltd faces a penalty of up to $31,500, while the Ruthenbergs could be penalised up to $6300 each. The FWO is also seeking a Court Order requiring Matcraft to comply with the Compliance Notice, which includes rectifying underpayments in full, plus superannuation and interest.
The Federal Circuit Court in Perth will begin its hearing on this matter on 28 July 2020.
