THE Fair Work Ombudsman has begun auditing 1000 businesses across Australia as part of its new Workplace Basics campaign.
The audit will target hot spots of concern identified by the ombudsman’s intelligence reports.
The campaign will see Fair Work inspectors assist businesses in accessing and navigating the wide range of free resources available to help them meet their obligations to pay workers correctly and follow record keeping and payslip laws.
Inspectors will also check the time and wage records of randomly selected businesses across a wide range of industries, with a focus given to sectors where large numbers of vulnerable workers, such as casuals, migrants and students, are employed.
The audit will seek to ensure employers are aware of the significantly higher penalties non-compliant businesses face under law changes passed last year to protect vulnerable workers, particularly those that relate to record keeping.
Companies involved in serious contraventions now face penalties of up to $630,000 per contravention.
The maximum penalties for individuals are now $126,000 per contravention.
The maximum penalty for failing to keep employee records or issue pay slips is now $63,000 for a company and $12,600 for an individual and the maximum penalty for knowingly making or keeping false or misleading employee records is $12,600 for an individual.
