Chinks Busted in Adelaide Cheap Labour Rort.

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/fair-work-ombudsman-reveals-mariana-market-caught-underpaying-7-staff-including-5-foreign-students-more-than-23000/story-fni6uo1m-1226861816904


INTERNATIONAL students studying in Adelaide are being ripped off by unscrupulous employers, who are forcing some to work for nothing and paying others as little as $6 an hour. 
 
Adelaide's largest Asian grocery store has been caught exploiting five international students and according to University of Adelaide and UniSA student representatives, the practice is widespread — particularly involving students being paid cash in hand for working in small restaurants.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has revealed the Mariana Market, in Grote St, has been caught out underpaying seven staff, including five international students, more than $23,000.

The store, trading under KYB Pty Ltd, and its owner, Mr Khai Khuu, were warned about the non-payment of wages and poor record keeping in November, 2012, following a complaint from an employee. Mr Khuu was required to reimburse an employee $556 for work completed over a five-day period.
Additional complaints were received early last year and a full investigation launched. That inquiry found seven staff were also underpaid between March and June last year.

The individual underpayments ranged from $1813 to $5924 and included reimbursement for up to 12 hours of "unpaid work trials'' each staff member was forced to undertake.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said it was "not a genuine trial arrangement", noting that the employees performed productive work and duties, including stacking shelves, moving goods throughout the store, cleaning, making juices and serving customers.

The employees were initially told they would be paid $8 an hour for the first 20 shifts and then $16-$18 an hour thereafter, but they would only be paid if they successfully completed a full month of work.

Fair Work inspectors found that on more than one occasion, employees were not paid at all for work performed and did not get their minimum hourly rate, casual loading or penalty rates for weekend shifts.

As an alternative to litigation, KYB has signed an Enforceable Undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman, in which it commits to a range of measures to revamp its workplace practices.

In SA last financial year, the Fair Work Ombudsman recouped $4.3 million for 1600 employees who had been underpaid — including $121,185 in underpaid wages and entitlements for 43 visa-holders.

From July 1 to December 31 last year, another $24,550 was recovered for 32 visa-holders in South Australia.

Nationally in 2012/13, $1.4 million was recovered for overseas workers. Two thousand and eighteen complaints were received from visa holders, a 61 per cent increase over the previous period.

Ms James said overseas workers accounted for less than 5 per cent of the cases investigated by her office, but the issue was still significant.

"The Fair Work Ombudsman devotes considerable resources to protecting overseas workers in Australia — including international students and backpackers — because we are conscious they can be vulnerable to being underpaid and treated unfairly,'' she said.

"The Fair Work Ombudsman recently established an Overseas Workers' Team in recognition that overseas workers can be vulnerable to exploitation, or require specialist assistance.

"Overseas workers are often not fully aware of their workplace rights under Australian laws — and youth, language and cultural barriers can also create difficulties for them.

"Complaints from overseas workers come most frequently from South Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese workers.

"From time to time, we receive intelligence which suggests overseas workers in some sectors are being paid as little as $8 an hour. We are constantly looking at new and innovative ways to educate overseas workers about their workplace rights, particularly minimum pay rates.

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/national/we-a-better-visa-scheme-for-business-pm/story-fnjbnvyj-1227090266645

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott will overhaul the skilled worker program as part of his innovation and competitiveness agenda because the government wanted the process to be more flexible for business.

The application process for the temporary visa program will be streamlined, and English language testing relaxed, Mr Abbott said.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions is concerned it may jeopardise Australian jobs because employers aren't obliged to advertise locally first.
"With unemployment at a 12-year high, it is mind-boggling that the government is making it easier for employers to bring in foreign workers," ACTU President Ged Kearney said.

The union is also concerned the move may harm foreign workers, a fear echoed by the CFMEU.

"The combination of poor English language skills, the dependency of 457 visa workers on their employer and poor enforcement of 457 regulations is a lethal one," the CFMEU said in a statement.

Business has complained the 457 visa scheme is too rigid and Mr Abbott says the changes "are not a way of substituting overseas labour for domestic labour".

Mr Abbott said safeguards would be kept in place to prevent exploitation and protect local workers, with a continued requirement that foreign workers be paid the same as Australians.


Oh Maaaaan!! I was hoping he'd scrap that visa entirely and if he were to keep it only allow the white women to come in here as we need them to breed with! Although I don't hate other white males coming. I know they aren't dumb and are equal to a white Aussie and are capable of ripping the rug out from under our feet in the job market!