The recent headlines involving celebrity chef George Calombaris
and the MADE Group of Restaurants serves as a warning to employers
about workplace compliance and the consequences of getting it
wrong.
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker says "the Fair Work
Ombudsman is cracking down on underpayments in the Fast Food,
Restaurant and Café sector, and we urge employers to check
if they are paying their staff correctly".
The underpayments first made headlines in 2017 when
representatives of MADE Establishment Pty Ltd notified the Fair
Work Ombudsman (FWO) that they had identified
non-compliance with the Restaurant Industry Award 2010
(Restaurant Award). This was after the MADE Group
had taken a number of steps to address non-compliance including
implementing a central human resources function, developing new
systems and processes and back-paying (then) current employees.