A SOUTH East employer owed staff tens of thousands of dollars in lost wages before purchasing a “near-new” luxury car, a parliamentary committee has been told.
In a submission to a parliamentary committee into wage theft, a South East woman said while employed at the business, staff discovered they were being paid below the award.
The woman used parliamentary privilege to name the business owner, but The Border Watch has chosen not to publish the witnesses name or the organisation.
According to the woman, the staff did not report the underpayments out of fear of losing their jobs, but decided to “take on” her employer who kept upgrading their vehicle, culminating in a purchase of a luxury car.
She claimed she was owed between $10,000 to $11,000.
The written submission, which was presented at Wednesday’s hearing, outlined the woman’s battle with her employer which saw her engage lawyers to present a case to the Fair Work Commission.
The woman claimed she
was “forced to haggle” her back pay from what she believed she was owed, saying a legal route would take up to 12 months.
After the “haggling”, the woman and her employer agreed on a payment of $6500, which they were made to pay over 13 weeks.
The woman said the business owner was never fined, further alleging staff continue to be underpaid.
She said although she was not dismissed by her employer, she felt she “had no choice but to walk out”.
“To this day I am still struggling to find work,” the submission said.
The woman said she was “very angry” with the fact she had “no choice but to take less money” than what she was owed, as well as the employer being absolved of a fine.
She said the Fair Work Commission “should have done more” regarding her back pay and alleged unfair dismissal.
