Almost $60,000 in penalties for sham arrangements send message to unscrupulous employers

A sham arrangement case that was the subject of a successful High Court appeal by the Fair Work Ombudsman has now been finalised, with the former operators of a Perth accommodation facility penalised a total of $58,740 in the Federal Court.

Penalties of $447,300 and $223,000 back-pay ordered after workers treated as “slaves”

The Fair Work Ombudsman has secured near-record penalties of $447,300 against the operators of a Sydney-based cleaning company, with the Federal Court finding the company treated vulnerable employees as “slaves” under a “calculated” scheme.

Labour-hire operator penalised for underpaying overseas workers on Queensland farms

Fair Work Ombudsman legal action stemming from the national Inquiry into exploitation of overseas workers on Australian farms has led to a Queensland labour-hire operator being penalised a total of $102,000 for underpaying 144 employees.

Penalties for blatant contraventions in popular Perth restaurant chain

The operator of a popular Perth restaurant chain has been penalised in Court for record-keeping practices that were so poor they prevented the Fair Work Ombudsman from determining the full extent of underpayments of vulnerable overseas workers.

Reality TV contestant faces Court over alleged unpaid internship, underpayments

A fashion industry start-up that appeared on the reality show ‘Shark Tank’ is facing Court for allegedly running an unlawful unpaid internship program and underpaying three workers more than $40,000.

Sushi operator penalised for “deliberate and calculated” exploitation of Korean workers

A sushi-outlet operator, and the corporation of which he was the sole director and shareholder, have been penalised a total of $136,250 for the “deliberate and calculated” exploitation of young Korean workers and using false records to try to cover it up.

Sydney retailer faces Court for allegedly underpaying employee $60,000

The Fair Work Ombudsman has commenced legal action against a Sydney retailer for allegedly underpaying an employee $60,000, despite having been warned about short-changing staff.

Tipoffs, pay calculations and app downloads hit major milestones at Fair Work Ombudsman

It has never been easier for Australian workers and their employers to obtain information or provide intelligence about their workplaces, with three of the Fair Work Ombudsman’s newest online tools passing major milestones.

Trolley-collection operator penalised for false records

The former operator of a trolley-collection company at Wagga Wagga, in regional NSW, has been penalised almost $30,000 for providing false records to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Melbourne labour-hire operator faces Court over alleged exploitation of overseas worker

The Fair Work Ombudsman has commenced legal action against a Melbourne labour-hire operator who allegedly paid an overseas worker nothing for almost three months of work.