转自:http://www.themercury.com.au/art ... _tasmania-news.html
HUNGRY Jack's has given $900,000 in back pay to 800 existing and former workers at its six Tasmanian fast food outlets.
Audits by the Fair Work Ombudsman discovered Hungry Jack's was not paying its Tasmanian staff under the correct industrial instrument.
The federal employment watchdog's media director, Craig Bildstien, said Hungry Jack's could face legal action over the underpayments.
Mr Bildstien said the company had told the Fair Work Ombudsman it had voluntarily back paid more than 800 former and existing employees about $900,000 after being notified of the underpayments.
"Our inquiries into this matter remain ongoing and legal action is possible, so it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further," he said.
Some Hungry Jack's stores in Australia are franchises but all six Tasmanian outlets are operated by Competitive Foods Pty Ltd.
The company did not comment yesterday.
Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association Tasmanian general secretary Paul Griffin said the underpayment had occurred over a couple of years.
"They inadvertently paid under the wrong arrangement," he said.
"They understood where the problem was and voluntarily did investigations with the result [being] the back pay."
He said despite the underpayment, the union did have good membership among Hungry Jack's workers.
The Tasmanian case follows raids by the Fair Work Ombudsman this month at Perth Hungry Jack's restaurants amid claims that they had underpaid some workers.
Workers were interviewed and the Fair Work Ombudsman reportedly ordered the handing over of timesheets and wage records.
Those stores were also owned by Competitive Foods Pty Ltd, which responded that it had "every confidence its entire [Perth] workforce receive their full entitlements under the relative industrial legislation and this fact will be vindicated following the Fair Work Ombudsman's review".
Hungry Jack's is a franchise of the international Burger King Corporation. |