In The Daily Fix, Crikey taps into the wisdom of experts and community leaders to find solutions to problems. This week: wage theft.
There are many useful improvements to existing legal processes that could be made to bring down the number of businesses underpaying their staff — and indeed some of them are under consideration by the Morrison government.
Awards have recently been simplified by the Fair Work Commission, and more could be done in that area too, although without simply being a pretext to remove entitlements.
But the most urgent need is for greater funding, both to the Fair Work Ombudsman, to help it cope with the huge task of investigating non-compliance by small and large businesses alike, and to the many community-based legal services which advise and support vulnerable workers.
That additional funding should not have to wait on consultations or legislative proposals — it’s needed now.
Andrew Stewart is the author of Stewart’s Guide to Employment Law, and is the John Bray Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide.
Why not restore unions’ right to enter workplaces and inspect the boss’ pay records? Unions policed wage theft effectively before their right of entry was severely curtailed.
Quite right, Gavin…and while they are at it, replace the right of unions to enter workplaces to investigate safety and security issues of their members…the number of deaths at work should mandate such a change. I believe the CFMMEU goes into workplaces anyway for this purpose, and is then given huge fines just for looking after the safety issues of their members. Then the government has the effrontery to tell the assembled public how said unions are ‘continually breaking the law’!
Just imagine the outcry if a union official was able to access wage records in the current climate, without a change in the law. But, no…we must wait until an employer ‘fesses up…no matter how many workers are being ripped off in the meantime.
Go figure!!
The mere mortals of this world have a set of laws with a fully funded police force and courts to enforce them.
The same should apply to all layers of our community – there should be a fully funded corporate police force and court system.
Similarly at the political level.
The principle should be the same treatment for all levels of our community – independent of wealth , power ,etc.