The Fair Work Ombudsman has made surprise inspections of food outlets in Brisbane’s south in order to check workers are getting the right pay and entitlements.
More than 45 businesses face investigations across the Sunnybank region, including in Sunnybank, Macgregor, Robertson and Sunnybank Hills.
Fair Work Inspectors have spoken with business owners, managers and employees on the ground and have requested records.
The regulator has acted after receiving intelligence from various sources, including anonymous reports, indicating potential underpayments of employees in the food precincts in the area. Most of the eateries are ‘cheap eats’ venues.
Businesses were selected for investigation based on Fair Work Ombudsman intelligence which included indicators of possible non-compliance, such as tip-offs to the Fair Work Ombudsman, if they had a history with the Fair Work Ombudsman, or if they employed vulnerable workers such as visa holders or young workers.
Fair Work Ombudsman, Anna Booth, said protecting vulnerable workers and improving compliance in the fast food, restaurant and café sector were priorities for the regulator.
“Inspectors are on the ground in Brisbane this week speaking with employees and holding employers to account if they are not meeting their obligations. We won’t hesitate to take enforcement action if needed,” Booth said.
“These inspections are part of a national food precincts program where we’ve often found that low-cost dining comes at the expense of workers’ lawful wages.”
Booth added that this sector has engaged many young workers and visa holders who can be vulnerable, as they are often unaware of their workplace rights or unwilling to speak up.
“We urge workers with concerns about wages and entitlements to contact us - including anonymously if preferred. Employers should access our free tools and resources to ensure they meet their obligations or contact the FWO directly for free advice.”
Inspectors are on alert for unlawfully low flat rates of pay; “off the books” employment arrangements; inadequate or missed breaks; non-payment of penalty rates and overtime rates; and inadequate or false record-keeping and pay slips, among other concerns.
The inspections are part of a national program that has recently recovered more than $680,000 in unpaid wages for workers in Melbourne’s inner south and inner west food precinct. It has previously targeted eateries in Melbourne’s Degraves Street and Hardware Lane, as well as several other main centres across Australia, including Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston, Darwin, the Gold Coast, Perth, Newcastle, south-east Melbourne, and most recently Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
