How do we fix wage theft when a huge cross-section of small and medium businesses continue to underpay workers? Crikey readers had a few practical answers to Bernard Keane’s question yesterday. Elsewhere, readers added to the discussion of where Australia can go in its relationship with Indonesia and what we can expect from incoming communications minister Paul Fletcher.
On wage theft
Peter Frank writes: Name and shame. It mightn’t have an impact in harvest and some other sectors but I’m sure it would in hospitality. Simply require every offending cafe, restaurant and coffee shop to prominently display a notice identifying them as shonks who are defrauding their staff of a fair wage. Maybe also a sticker on menus? This could be augmented by a parallel notice identifying businesses meeting/exceeding fair wage entitlements. I’m sure most consumers prefer to buy their “fair trade” coffee from a barista getting paid a fair wage.
Michelle Robertson writes: This is a knotty problem. To motivate government, get treasury to do some modelling. Correct payment of workers would boost the economy and it would boost the tax take. Next, make it easier to find out correct rates of pay from Fair Work, including all the state laws, so it is easier for business to do the right thing. Make wage theft a crime (this was effective for OH&S) and ask the tax office to include correct payment of employees and the related tax in their audits.
On Australia-Indonesia relations
Alex Joseph writes: I love reading Michael’s articles, but I feel he made a small mistake when he said Indonesia is headed to be the world’s fourth biggest economy behind China, the US, and Japan. Not a chance in hell. At best fifth, behind China, the US, India and Japan. In fact, the future number five spot has so many potential contenders, it is pointless to speculate. I feel Michael presented a very fair and realistic picture of the Oz-Indonesian relations, the promise and the pitfalls. I wish our government put more energy into this relationship. For starters, every school-kid in Oz should be made to study Indonesian, just like most European kids are made to learn English. We will have a whole generation of Indonesia-savvy Aussies. It will stand us in good stead.
On the new communications minister
June Factor writes: Paul Fletcher was Richard Alston’s chief of staff when Alston was communications minister. And what a jolly time that was for the ABC.
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Obstinate, misguided, self serving and short term thinking has always harmed the cause of left winged politics in Australia. None bigger than the Greens refusal to support Labor’s Malaysian refugee solution. Their rejection of a creative, common sense solution changed the face of Australian politics and is still the biggest stick that bigoted right wingers use to thrash those with a left leaning, compassionate view of life. It’s ok to have principles but please, just for once, try to win the war rather than the skirmish!
As an Aussie speaker of Indonesian I agree with Alex Joseph’s advocacy of more teaching of Indonesian in our schools. Indonesia is our biggest near neighbour and whether fourth, fifth or sixth, it can be expected to be a major customer and a major friend in the region. Indonesians like visitors who can speak their language, as does everyone really. Entering Thailand years ago I reminded the Thai immigration employee “Thirty days” in Thai when he hesitated over which stamp to use. He laughed with pleased surprise and repeated “Sarmsibwan sarmsibwan” (“Thirty days, thirty days,”) still smiling as he handed back my passport.
I agree, up to a point. The reason European kids all learn English is that their job prospects would be drastically reduced if they didn’t. This isn’t the case for Australians who don’t know Indonesian. But there are other benefits.
I suggest employees can rate their own hospitality employer at Fair Plate, see https://fairplate.org.au/