A new law has been passed in Parliament to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation. The law, known as the Fair Work Amendment Bill, increases penalties for businesses not adhering to minimum wage laws and increases scrutiny on record keeping and pay slip breaches, incurring hefty fines and discouraging underpayment. Other provisions of the new law include increased penalties for knowingly flouting worker protection laws, up to ten times as much, empowering ombudsmen, and prohibiting unreasonable cashback schemes which require workers to make payments to the company.
Key Takeaways:
- On the 5th of September, Parliament passed The Fair Work Amendment bill, a measure intended to protect vulnerable workers from instances of exploitation.
- The bill applies to all franchisors that have control over a franchisee’s affairs and includes stiff penalties for individuals and companies involved in fraudulent record-keeping and breaches of pay s
- According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, employers who don’t meet their record keeping or pay slip obligations will be required to disprove wage claims in court.
“The new laws will apply to all franchisors who have influence over a franchisee’s affairs. They also double the penalties for record-keeping and breaches of pay slips to $12,000 per contravention for individuals and $63,000 for companies.”
Read more: http://c-store.com.au/2017/09/07/protecting-vulnerable-workers-bill-passed/
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