South Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman to chase non-compliant food retailers
South Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman has announced a new compliance campaign taking aim at food businesses. The new focus will be on bakeries, poultry and smallgoods retailers, butchers, greengrocers and fruit and vegetable stores in suburban Adelaide and the regional centres of Mount Gambier, Port Pirie, Berri, Port Lincoln and Whyalla. The Fair Work campaign will audit the employment practices of up to 250 food retailers in South Australia over the next four months.
SA Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson said the campaign would be an ideal opportunity for specialised food retailers to ensure they understand their obligations. The campaign aims to increase awareness of workplace laws, including Modern Awards and the National Employment Standards.
“We are committed to providing free education, assistance and advice to make it easier for employers to comply with workplace laws. If inspectors find minor or inadvertent contraventions, their preferred approach is to educate the employer and assist them to voluntarily rectify the issue,” Mr Wilson said.
The Fair Work inspectors will check whether employers are paying workers in-line with minimum wage rates, penalty rates and minimum engagement hours. Inspectors will also check employers are complying with record-keeping and pay slip obligations.
Several seminars on the work place laws are to be run as part of the campaign.
