Fair Work Ombudsman Investigates Lovely Care for Underpayment
Friday 8 November 2013 @ 9.17 a.m. | Industrial Law
Emergency aged-care facility, Lovely Care, in Sydney has been targeted by the Fair Work Ombudsman for allegedly underpaying two foreign workers more than $84,000. The facility as well as its owner is set to face court for multiple breaches of workplace law.
The two disability workers were employed on a casual basis between 2007 and 2011. They were of Egyptian and Chinese descent respectively, and the latter spoke very limited English. During their employment, they worked shifts of at least 15 hours and were only being paid between $200 and $312. The FWO initiated its investigations into the underpayment after complaints made by the employees.
FWO has made it clear that it will be investing its resources toward cracking down on industries which are attracting the most complaints. Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says:
“We will always take special care and focus on cases where vulnerable workers are involved such as young people, migrants and mature age workers."
This is a new chapter in the string of incidents where foreign workers have been targeted by employers due to their vulnerability. The hospitality industry is one which is frequently in the limelight for such breaches. Throughout 2013, many businesses have received fines for underpayment of foreign workers. Most notably, Housekeeping Pty Ltd was fined a total of $286,550 back in September.
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