Masterchef Judge George Calombaris is facing new allegations of underpaying workers. Staff at his Melbourne restaurant Hellenic Republic claim they’ve been paid at a lower rate than they were entitled to under the award and the business is refusing to pay them back.
The accusations come shortly after Calombaris’ MaDE Establishment group was forced to apologise to 162 employees for underpaying them over $2.6 million.
The former staff believe there are others in the same position, but it is unclear how many.
MaDE Establishment CEO Troy McDonagh said he could not comment on the cases as the restaurant group had not concluded its investigation.
“We are working very closely and collaboratively with FWO [Fair Work Ombudsman] as we have since April 3, 2017.
The Fair Work Ombudsman conducted a major investigation into Calombaris’ businesses in 2015-16, over concerns about staff being classified on the wrong awards and not being paid overtime.
MaDE Establishment hired auditor KPMG to examine its business and discovered it had underpaid staff to the tune of $2.6 million.
In April 2017, Calombaris said he was committed to paying everyone their full entitlements.
FWO Audit Finds 72% Of Food Businesses Breaching Workplace Laws
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s recent audit of three popular food destinations found that 72% of the 243 businesses audited had breached workplace laws. So far the audits have recovered over $470,000 for more than 600 workers.
Most Employees Are Now Covered By The Fair Work Act
The majority of employers in Australia are now covered by the Fair Work Act. Employers must provide the minimum National Employment Standards to all staff and pay them correctly to avoid big fines and penalities, and damaging employee claims. Employers must also keep accurate time and wages records to meet their legal obligations.
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