Fast food restaurants and cafés in inner Brisbane have been put on high alert as the national workplace regulator runs a sting on “cheap eats” havens in cities across eastern states until Friday.
Fair Work inspectors were expected to drop in without notice at 45 outlets in Brisbane, Cairns, Sydney and Canberra to check time and wage records, payslip and vet employers on correct wage and entitlement practices.
The Fair Work Ombudsman, Anna Booth, said accurate records and payslips were “a crucial bedrock” for compliance with Fair Work laws.
The Fair Work Ombudsman is targeting “cheap eats” businesses in Brisbane’s CBD.Credit: Courtney Kruk
“Missing, incorrect or poorly maintained records and payslips are often an indicator of wage underpayments,” Booth said.
The Ombudsman said employers could be fined for incorrectly maintaining records, which could include missed or incomplete payslips and failing to log casual hours, overtime, or leave.
Inspectors were focussing on inner-city areas across the four cities, including the CBDs of Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra and Sydney’s inner-west.
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“We are focusing here on the fast food, restaurants and cafés sector because it has a history of high levels of non-compliance and employs large numbers of young people and migrant workers, who we’ve found are more likely to be unaware of their workplace rights or unwilling to speak up if something seems wrong,” Booth said.
One in four compliance notices issued in the 2023-24 financial year were issued to businesses in the restaurants, fast food and café sector – from which $5.6 million in unpaid wage was recovered.
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