Almost half of vehicle repair and maintenance employees in Australia are non-compliant: Fair Work audit
November
16, 2012
Almost half of vehicle repair and maintenance employees in Australia are non-compliant, a Fair Work audit has revealed.
An Australia-wide audit of 759 businesses found that only 445, or 59 percent, were compliant with workplace laws, while 314, or 41 percent, recorded contraventions.
The audit included businesses employing mechanics, panel beaters, crash repair specialists, paint and interior repair specialists, windscreen repairers, auto electricians and tow-bar fitters.
Victoria was the least compliant state, with only 38 percent compliance, followed closely by New South Wales, with 39 percent compliance.
Tasmania recorded a 100 percent compliance rate, followed by the Northern Territory on 88 percent, Queensland 64 percent, South Australia 61 percent, Western Australia 57 percent, and ACT 50 percent.
According to Fair Work, 144 employers were found to have underpaid 230 employees a total of $200,000, while a further 170 employers were found to have record-keeping and/or pay slip contraventions.
More than half of the campaign audits were conducted in Queensland, where the Fair Work Ombudsman recovered $117,692 for 142 employees from 79 different businesses.
A total of $37,623 was recovered for 46 employees in NSW, $18,509 for 18 employees in Victoria, $12,921 for 10 employees in Western Australia, $10,475 for 11 employees in South Australia and $3,679 for three employees in the ACT.
Audits of four employers – three in Victoria and one in NSW –
are ongoing.
The audit was conducted as part of a campaign to increase employer awareness of workplace laws.