Cattle and meat processing company admits underpaying staff by millions
A Queensland cattle and meat processing company has admitted to underpaying its employees at an abattoir and meat processing facility in Brisbane between 2010 and 2022. The employees include meat workers, cleaners, yard-persons, stockpersons, and store-persons, as...
McDonald’s facing class action over allegations it failed to provide paid 10-minute breaks
A class action has been filed against fast food giant McDonald's following allegations the company failed to provide its Australian employees with paid 10-minute breaks. Shine Lawyers filed the action on behalf of McDonald's staff, alleging staff were not given their...
Over 384,000 employees were underpaid in 2021-22
The Fair Work Ombudsman's strengthened compliance and enforcement approach has seen another record amount of back-paid wages for Australian workers in the last financial year. A record $532 million in unpaid wages and entitlements was recovered for more than 384,000...
Changes to the Hair and Beauty Industry Award from 9 August 2022
The Hair and Beauty Industry Award has been reviewed and rewritten using plain language by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). This is to make the award simpler and easier to understand. Award changes As a result of this review, the FWC have also made some changes to the...
Paid Family Domestic Violence Leave Update
The Australian Government has introduced proposed legislation that would entitle all employees, including casuals, to an annual 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave from early next year. The entitlement is expected to take effect from 1 February 2023 for...
Half a billion dollars in wages recovered by Fair Work Ombudsman in 2021-22
The Fair Work Ombudsman has announced that a record $532 million in unpaid wages and entitlements was recovered for more than 384,000 workers in 2021-22. The recoveries sum was more than three times that of last year’s record and benefitted five times the number of...
Employee reinstated after ruling that kpis were not reasonable
An underperforming employee was given the opportunity to improve and reach his KPIs, but the lack of training and direction meant dismissing him was unfair. Last October, a motor services company dismissed a technician for failing to meet his key performance...
How to keep the workplace safe with the rising numbers of Covid
With the rise of covid cases, employers are reminded that they may need to consider offering more flexible working-from-home arrangements. Employers have a legal obligation to protect their worker’s health and safety by ensuring that all workers who can work from home...
TRP or Total Remuneration Package – Base Salary plus benefits
TRP or Total Remuneration Package is the term that covers Base Salary plus benefits. They can be made up of a lot of different aspects depending on the company, industry and indeed on the circumstances/requirements of the employee. Simple and standard packages are...
Unpaid pandemic leave reinserted into 6 Modern Awards
Unpaid pandemic leave remains available to eligible employees covered by 6 Awards from 15 July 2022 until 31 December 2022, following a recent decision by the Fair Work Commission. Employees can access up to 2 weeks’ unpaid pandemic leave if they’re prevented from...
