Wednesday, August 12, 2015

$23 million Australian bosses rip off

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) recovered more than $23 million for Australian workers who were ripped off by their employers during the 2013-2014 financial year.

These are the people who lodged and followed though with a workplace complaint. There are many others out there who have no idea they are being taken for a ride, experts said.

Slater and Gordon industrial lawyer Carita Kazakoff urged workers to check their rights and make sure they were receiving all of their entitlements.

She said it was illegal for an employer to dismiss an employee for standing up for their rights, referring to a recent case.

Ms Kazakoff said on July 21 this year, the national law firm represented a young Melbourne woman who believed she was sacked because she campaigned against an outdated workplace agreement.

“It is a breach of the Fair Work Act for an employer to sack you, or to stop rostering you for shifts, or even threaten to do so, because you’ve taken legal action about your wages or award entitlements,” Ms Kazakoff said.

“Many employees don’t investigate their rights because they’re worried what will happen if they seek to enforce their entitlements.

“I applaud (the woman) for standing up for herself and her co-workers in the pursuit of fairness.”\

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