The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) has reached the milestone of recovering more than $1 million in unpaid wages for Australian building and construction workers.
ABCC Commissioner, Stephen McBurney said the Commission had been responsible for ensuring the industry’s workers were paid correctly since 2 December 2016 and continued to build its work in the area.
“The ABCC has so far audited over 350 employers to ensure they are paying their workers correctly and has undertaken over 100 investigations into alleged under-payments,” Mr McBurney said.
Money recovered by the ABCC for almost 1,400 workers included more than $115,000 back-paid to seven Queensland bricklayers after their employer failed to comply with their enterprise agreement; more than $57,000 back-paid to five carpentry apprentices in NSW after their employer failed to pay the modern award; and $54,000 recovered for 10 formwork workers in NSW after their company failed to comply with its enterprise agreement.
Mr McBurney said other money recovered included $23,500 back-paid to 67 labour hire workers in Western Australia after their employer misclassified them under the modern award and did not pay the correct rates for overtime work, and $10,223 back-paid to 10 scaffolding workers in the Northern Territory after it was found their employer failed to pay overtime and their fares and travel allowances.
“The ABCC has also commenced legal action against an employer in Victoria who is alleged to have failed to pay a labourer $22,000 and threatened to sack the worker when he asked about his pay,” Mr McBurney said.
“These results are a timely reminder for employers to make sure they are paying their workers correctly.”
He said the $1 million milestone demonstrated the ABCC’s commitment to ensuring it was fulfilling its statutory mandate as a full service regulator.
