As part of a new campaign aimed at ensuring employers are paying staff their correct entitlements, the Fair Work Ombudsman is auditing up to 50 businesses in Canberra and Queanbeyan.
Inspectors will be checking that employers are paying the correct minimum hourly rates, allowances and loadings and providing appropriate meal breaks. Compliance with record-keeping and pay slip obligations will also be monitored.
The campaign will target a number of industries including hospitality, carpentry, accounting, cleaning, hairdressing, real estate, beauty and computer system design.
In Canberra, inspectors are focusing on Woden and Weston Creek, with all businesses randomly selected.
Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said one of the campaign’s aims is to ensure employers are aware of their responsibilities and how the Fair Work Ombudsman can assist them to access, understand and apply information to build a culture of compliance.
“It’s important we check workers are being paid correctly, but we also want to be pro-active about ensuring employers understand their obligations,” she said.
“Inspectors are making face-to-face visits to 40 percent of businesses selected for the campaign so they can offer assistance to rectify any non-compliance issues and put processes in place to ensure they get it right in the future.”