Brisbane sushi restaurant Moga Izakaya & Sushi is facing court for underpaying staff and falsifying records.
The venue, located in Paddington, is operated by Delishesco Pty Ltd, which will face the Fair Work Ombudsman in court along with the company’s sole director Yinan Yang.
It’s alleged the company paid employees, most of who were on 417 working holiday visas, flat rates below minimum entitlements leading to 34 workers being underpaid a total of $75,716.
Individual underpayments range from $58 to $9,588.
The contraventions will be considered as serious under the Protecting Vulnerable Workers amendments to the Fair Work Act “due to the deliberate and systemic nature of the conduct”.
The Ombudsman will also allege the company was formally cautioned for underpaying workers.
“Employers are on notice that we will protect vulnerable workers by ensuring that any individuals or companies who allegedly commit serious contraventions are held to account,” says Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker
“Maximum penalties for serious contraventions are $630,000 per breach for companies and $126,000 per breach for individuals.”
The company faces penalties up to $63,000 for other alleged contraventions with Yang looking at $12,600 in penalties per breach.
The Fair Work Ombudsman is also seeking a court order requiring the company and Yang to back-pay the workers in full.
Image credit: Moga