The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety is to fund new education initiatives designed to combat the workplace problem of wage theft
The Department’s Getting Employment Right grants are aimed at funding employer and employee organisations, including peak bodies, to undertake education initiatives on the rights and obligations or employees and employers.
Minister for Industrial Relations, Bill Johnston said the 2019 Inquiry into Wage Theft in Western Australia found that one of the reasons for the theft was a lack of understanding of employment entitlements and obligations.
“The inquiry recognised the important role employer and employee organisations can have in providing education at grassroots level,” Mr Johnston said, “particularly in industries with a high incidence of wage theft, such as cafés and restaurants, contract cleaning and horticulture.”
He said employer and employee organisations would be directly invited to participate in the grants program, with grants worth up to $75,000 available.
“Employer and employee organisations play an essential role in improving knowledge of employment law among small business employers and Western Australian workers,” Mr Johnston said.
“I encourage employer and employee organisations to apply for a grant. As a consequence of doing so they will be able to help tackle wage theft in their industry.”
