By Casey Neill
A Fair Work blitz in Dandenong recovered $400,000 in wages and found 42 per cent of businesses were breaking workplace laws.
Acting Fair Work Ombudsman Kristen Hannah said the proactive compliance and education campaign audited 253 businesses.
She said 23 per cent were non-compliant with record-keeping and pay slip requirements, while 26 per cent were not paying their employees correctly.
Fair Work inspectors recovered $428,676 in wages and entitlements for 185 workers in the region.
The campaign also led to an enforceable undertaking between the Fair Work Ombudsman and a sheet metal manufacturer found to have underpaid 16 casual employees from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Fair Work focused on Dandenong because it was home to a potentially vulnerable workforce, with 58.2 per cent of people from non-English speaking backgrounds compared to the state average of 23.1 per cent.
Ms Hannah said the campaign better-equipped businesses to ensure they were compliant with workplace laws in the future.
“Non-compliant employers are now on notice that there are no excuses for further breaches,” she said.
