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Breaking News
Taste of Tasmania participants forewarned about wages
21st November, 2008
Participants in the upcoming Taste of Tasmania have been briefed by workplace inspectors to ensure all workers are properly paid.
This follows the discovery that half the stall-holders underpaid staff working at last year’s event, part of the Hobart Summer Festival.
Federal Workplace Ombudsman Executive Director Michael Campbell says audits conducted by his agency found breaches by 14 employers, resulting in 45 workers being back-paid $5000.
Mr Campbell says another 18 employers under the jurisdiction of Workplace Standards Tasmania are also being asked to rectify underpayments.
“These findings – the result of a targeted compliance campaign – have prompted us to pro-actively brief those stall-holders who will be taking part in this year’s event so we can avoid a repeat occurrence,” he said.
“Even for short-term events such as these, employers have a responsibility to ensure they comply with their legal obligations to staff engaged to work on their stands.”
Mr Campbell said that in 2007-08, the Federal Workplace Ombudsman had recovered $1.159 million for workers in Tasmania, up 308 per cent on the $284,000 recouped the previous financial year.
www.wo.gov.au Friday 21st November 2008