The Fair Work Ombudsman has conducted surprise inspections of food outlets in Perth to ensure that workers are getting the right pay and entitlements.
About 50 businesses are under scrutiny as Fair Work Inspectors are talking to the owners, managers and employees of the businesses concerned and requesting records as well.
The inspections come as FWO has received intelligence reports from a range of sources, including anonymous reports, indicating potential underpayments of employees in the food precincts in the area.
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said protecting vulnerable workers and improving compliance in the fast food, restaurant and café sector were ongoing priorities.
“Inspectors in Perth are on the ground this week, and we will hold employers to account if they are not meeting their obligations, including by taking enforcement action where appropriate,” Parker said.
Inspectors are on alert for instances of low flat rates, unpaid hours of work, unpaid penalty rates, late payments, false or inaccurate records and failures to provide pay slips, among other breaches.
The audits are part of a national program that has previously targeted eateries in Perth’s James Street and Francis Street in Northbridge, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston, Darwin and the Gold Coast.
“These inspections are part of a national food precincts program where we’ve often found a low cost of dining comes at the expense of workers’ lawful entitlements,” she added. “Visa holder workers and students can be especially at risk of exploitation as they’re often unfamiliar with Australian workplace laws or reluctant to ask questions about their pay or other concerns with their employer.”
In the fast food, restaurant and café sector, the FWO was able to secure court-ordered penalties of $1.66 million from litigations and recovered more than $13 million for underpaid employees in 2021-22. It is noted that migrant workers were involved in 26 per cent of all the FWO’s litigations initiated that year.
