Business & Finance Where would I place a complaint about underpayment in the workplace?

[Eggzoi]

So our boss has decided that instead of paying Australian citizens minimum wage he would prefer to pay immigrant students far below minimum wage and cut back the rest of our hours to the point where we're basically all fired.

I've called the Fair Work Ombudsman but as I am casual they can't take a complaint from me about the cut in hours and they will only take a complaint about underpayment from one of the people being underpaid.

Is there any other avenue I can go to to get this fixed? Apart from driving the business into the ground in my remaining shift a week of course?

 

[HarryTiger]

So our boss has decided that instead of paying Australian citizens minimum wage he would prefer to pay immigrant students far below minimum wage and cut back the rest of our hours to the point where we're basically all fired.

I've called the Fair Work Ombudsman but as I am casual they can't take a complaint from me about the cut in hours and they will only take a complaint about underpayment from one of the people being underpaid.

Is there any other avenue I can go to to get this fixed? Apart from driving the business into the ground in my remaining shift a week of course?

That sounds ridiculous, I'm quite sure the law would forbid him from underpaying even when the employees consent to it. Slack ass bureaucrat.

Sounds like the kind of thing your local member could deal with. You pay them to represent you.

Failing that there's the media, Current Affair/TT/Neil Mitchell. I wouldn't want to appear on those shows though.

 

[Eggzoi]

That sounds ridiculous, I'm quite sure the law would forbid him from underpaying even when the employees consent to it. Slack ass bureaucrat.

Sounds like the kind of thing your local member could deal with. You pay them to represent you.

Failing that there's the media, Current Affair/TT/Neil Mitchell. I wouldn't want to appear on those shows though.

I was contemplating something like that, cheers for the advice.

Urgh, I'd rather be unemployed than appear on those shows.

 

[Caesar]

Try the Ombudsman again. You may have got a dud staffer, or someone who didn't understand your complaint. I am almost 100% certain that they don't need the consent of someone who is being underpaid to investigate a breach like that.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

You have a choice of calling the Fair Work Ombudsman or Fair Work Australia on issues of being underpaid.

When push comes to show most government agencies are able to take anonymous complaints and they would realise the dangers of immigrant workers and the reality that they won't complain themselves.

 

[Dawson]

Call your Union