Four retail shop assistants at a Dandenong butchery are sharing more than $14,400 in back-pay.
The Fair Work Ombudsman found the casual employees were paid flat rates below the minimum entitlements under the General Retail Industry Award.
They also did not get weekend or public holiday penalties for eight months. One worker received $6100 in back-pay.
Fair Work discovered the underpayment during pro-active auditing of businesses Dandenong region businesses.
In a separate matter, the Fair Work Ombudsman negotiated back-payment of $12,600 for 10 commercial cleaners in Dandenong who were underpaid part-time loading, and a full-time cleaner who did not receive his travel allowance.
The butchery employees were all from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said the employer was, too, and did not have a full understanding of his obligations under federal workplace laws.
She said employers needed to ensure they understood the wages applicable to their individual workplace.
“Our online tools and resources can assist employers to determine their relevant award, as well as classification and wages, including base pay rates, allowances, overtime and penalty rates,” Ms James said.
“Our focus is on educating employers about their obligations and assisting them to put processes in place to ensure that any errors we find don’t occur again.”
Visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. A free interpreter service is available on 13 14 50.
The pay and conditions tool at calculate.fairwork.gov.au can help to determine the correct wages for employees, and there are templates for time and wages records.
