The Fair Work Ombudsman has invited workers who suspect they may have been underpaid in previous jobs to check whether the money they are owed is part of $2.5 million her office is holding to distribute.
The money is owed to around 10,000 people who were underpaid in a former job but cannot be located.
Fair Work Ombudsman, Sandra Parker said compliance and enforcement activities regularly found underpayments of both current and former employees.
“If an employee is owed money but has left the business and can’t be located, these entitlements are held in trust until we are able to find them,” Ms Parker said.
“We make extensive efforts to locate underpaid former employees, using internal investigation records, Government public resources, social media and online tools.”
She said that since 2010, the Fair Work Ombudsman had reunited almost $2 million in unclaimed wages with more than 1,800 workers.
“In one matter, our efforts to track down a former security guard led to over $21,000 in unpaid wages and entitlements paid to the worker’s family, after it was discovered the former employee had sadly passed away,” Ms Parker said.
“Similarly, we located a former employee via the Electoral Roll to pass on over $200 in unpaid wages, while more than $6,000 was returned to a former trolley collector tracked down by the regulator.”
She said many workers left their jobs without even knowing they had been underpaid, so all workers should check whether they were entitled to unclaimed wages.
“With an average entitlement around $250, anyone who thinks they may have been shortchanged in a former job should visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website to make a claim.”
Checks for unpaid wages held by the Ombudsman can be made at this PS News link.
