A Turnbull Coalition Government, if returned at the July 2 election, will amend the Fair Work Act to make franchisors and parent entities responsible for their franchisees' and subsidiaries' exploitation of vulnerable workers, while increasing penalties tenfold for employers that underpay such workers and fail to keep proper records.
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven is ending the Fels Panel's oversight of its process for rectifying systematic underpayments to franchisee employees and moving the task to what it says is an independent internal unit.
FWC's interest-based dispute resolution approach reaches new stage; Shorten Government would intervene in penalties case; Visa cases now the lion's share of FWO prosecutions; Budget Estimates hearings brought forward; Labor bid to disallow regulation postponed to Wednesday; and Slaters wins new finance deal.
Two companies and their director that underpaid two Indian citizens and engaged in sham contracting and adverse action have been ordered to pay $200,000 in penalties and compensation.
The Federal Circuit Court has ordered a Mahjong club to pay more than $415,000 in compensation for breaching state and federal IR laws and engaging in adverse action when it moved a full-time tea attendant to a part-time role because of his workers' compensation claim.
The Federal Circuit Court has warned compliance order recipients that they should have "no misapprehension about their obligations to comply" after fining an employer that underpaid workers $9,000 on top of the original penalty. Meanwhile, the regulator is pursuing an accountancy firm that was allegedly involved in an employer's underpayments
The Opposition has given notice that it will introduce a Private Member's Bill that would trigger a crackdown on underpayments, sham contracting and exploitation of temporary visa workers.
The Federal Circuit Court has found a recruitment and labour hire company, its director and HR manager knowingly falsified employment records and made unlawful deductions from the wages of cleaners working in Melbourne's Federation Square and Crown Casino.
A court has taken an employer to task for making false representations to interns who were told their terms and conditions complied with minimum standards.
FWC reserves decision on Telstra agreement; Meaney takes over as NUW NSW branch secretary; & Fine for company and director that acted with "reckless disregard".
