Some 117 plasterers have been back-paid a total of $15,230 after the Australian Building and Construction Commission found their Sydney-based employer had failed to implement a wage increase in their enterprise agreement.
The underpayments occurred between October and December 2010 when the incremental increase in the agreement was not paid to the workers, despite the employer’s obligation to raise the hourly rate. The ABCC notified the employer that they had breached the award and the employer volunteered to back pay the workers.
“Incremental increases contained in industrial instruments are not optional. It is crucial that construction companies are familiar with the annual increases in their agreement, and cost their projects accordingly. ” said ABC Deputy Commissioner (Field Operations) Michael Campbell.
“The ABCC’s priority was to educate the employer about the operation of mandated hourly pay rates and help them voluntarily back-paying the workers.”
“Some of these workers spoke limited English and had not been made aware of the change to their base rate remuneration in the agreement. The ABCC resolved the matter by working with the employer and reviewing each time and wage record.”
“If employers need help checking their payroll details and correct hourly rates they can call the ABCC for advice,” Mr Campbell said.
Employers and employees in the building and construction industry seeking advice should contact the ABCC Hotline on 1800 003 338 or visit www.abcc.gov.au. For translations call 13 14 50.
The ABCC promotes fair and productive building and construction work. It also monitors compliance and investigates breaches of national workplace legislation.