Record-keeping and pay slip compliance boosted in WA, SA and NT
Employers appear to be improving compliance with workplace laws, based on the findings of a recent campaign by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The national workplace regulator found 75 per cent of employers in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory which had previously breached record-keeping or pay slip requirements are now meeting their obligations.
99 employers were checked with 73 (74 per cent) compliant, while 26 employers (26 per cent) weren’t meeting the full requirements to provide pay slips to workers.
The Northern Territory had the best compliance rate at 82 per cent, followed by South Australia (79 per cent) and Western Australia (65 per cent).
All businesses that were checked had previously had a complaint lodged against them or were audited during a Fair Work Ombudsman campaign and had agreed to rectify their breaches.
Pay slip contraventions were found at businesses in Adelaide, Darwin and Perth, as well as
Aldgate, Beachport, Kingston SE, Mount Gambier and Robe in South Australia and Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Kambalda, Mount Barker and Pinjarra in Western Australia.
Two fines of $550 each were issued to WA businesses in Perth and Mount Barker for multiple pay slip breaches, with one business owner initially denying that he had signed an agreement to rectify his contraventions during a previous audit.
Fair Work Ombudsman, Natalie James, said that while it was disappointing to still find some employers in contravention, the overall compliance rate was encouraging.
“It is particularly pleasing that we revisited 73 employers that were previously in contravention and found that all of them are now meeting their obligations under workplace law,” Ms James said.
“It reinforces that our Inspectors’ approach of working co-operatively with employers to educate them about their obligations and assist them to put processes in place to ensure ongoing compliance is having a positive impact.”
Ms James said it was fundamentally important for businesses to get it right when it comes to their record-keeping and pay slip obligations.
“Pay slips are critical - apart from being a legal requirement that they be provided within 24 hours of payment being made and that they contain key information, it’s the main source for employees to check for themselves that they’ve been paid correctly for all hours worked,” she said.
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s website - www.fairwork.gov.au - contains a range of tools and resources designed to help employers comply with their obligations, including templates for time-and-wages records, a self-audit check list and letters of engagement and probation.
Workers or employers seeking support can also get in touch with the Fair Work Ombudsman by calling the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. A free interpreter service is available on 13 14 50.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman, 24 October 2013
