Café operators penalised $110,000 for paying international students just $8 an hour

The operators of a café in Melbourne have been fined a total of $110,500 after paying young, foreign students as little as $8 an hour.

Court rejects restaurant’s bizarre demand to rectify underpayment of casual employee

When a Bendigo restaurant was asked to back-pay a casual employee it had short-changed, it refused to do so unless the worker provided a statement that she had been “kidnapped” and “forced to work against her will”.

Company fined $24,000 over unpaid work scheme

A Melbourne media company has been penalised $24,000 for implementing an unpaid work arrangement that led to two young employees being underpaid thousands of dollars.

National advertising company and director fined $100,000 over underpayments

A national advertising company and its director have been penalised a total of $100,000 after failing to pay dozens of workers in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide any wages for work they performed.

Heavy price for ignoring back-pay request

A restaurant on Queensland’s Gold Coast has been penalised a total of $15,300 for refusing to reimburse a teenage apprentice who had been underpaid.

Mid-North Coast earmarked for attention

The Fair Work Ombudsman will visit the NSW Mid-North Coast over the next few weeks to help raise awareness among employers of their obligations under federal workplace laws.

Tasmanian blueberry, strawberry farm visits

Fair Work Ombudsman inspectors will visit blueberry and strawberry farms in Tasmania in February to ensure seasonal workers are being paid correctly.

Employer to face court for allegedly paying Italian backpacker just $1.35 an hour

A young Italian backpacker was allegedly paid less than $2 an hour while working in Tasmania for an employer who recruited working holidaymakers wanting to stay in Australia for two years.

Restaurant promised Korean cook $52,000 a year pay-packet, but only dished up $15,000

A Sydney restaurant which agreed to pay $52,000 a year to a cook recruited from South Korea under the 457 skilled visa program paid him just $15,000 over 13 months.

Teenage Chinese massage therapist allegedly underpaid $21,000 after being convinced to work as contractor

A teenage Chinese massage therapist was underpaid more than $21,000 after being persuaded to work as an independent contractor instead of an employee, the Fair Work Ombudsman alleges.