Older Worker Underpaid by Queensland Company

The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched court proceedings against a regional Queensland car rental company, Thrifty Car Rental, and its company director, John Featherstone, for allegedly underpaying a worker in his 60s almost $30,000.

With the termination of the employee’s employment in 2012, the company had allegedly underpaid him $28,828.13 in wages and annual leave entitlements between June 2007 and August 2012. The underpayments, as asserted by the FWO, occurred as a result of a failure to pay correct minimum rates of pay, weekend penalty rates, public holiday rates, overtime rates and annual leave rates.

This issue reflects a larger issue of vulnerable workers over 50 who have been released into the workforce in the past few years and have been caught on the peripheral of small businesses. Workplace relations lawyer Peter Vitale claims that these workers are finding it more difficulty to find employment and when they are mistreated in the workplace, they are less likely to make complaints.

However, Vitale goes on to say that there is currently not enough information to suggest a pattern of exploitation, but it does seem to indicate a general reluctance to hire older workers.

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