{"id":146484,"date":"2016-06-06T15:26:07","date_gmt":"2016-06-06T05:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=146484"},"modified":"2020-10-13T12:16:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T02:16:19","slug":"dob-in-a-bad-employer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/06\/06\/dob-in-a-bad-employer\/","title":{"rendered":"Dob In A Bad Employer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 6, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James has appealed to the general community for help in combatting the exploitation of workers by rogue employers.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompliance with workplace laws isn\u2019t just my business, it\u2019s everyone\u2019s business \u2013 when workers get ripped off, everyone is affected,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had enough of hearing about workers getting paid $10 an hour, so I am putting the call out to the whole community \u2013 workers, consumers, concerned citizens, businesses, everyone \u2013 to help us build a culture of compliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you suspect a business is exploiting its workers, or if something doesn\u2019t seem right, we want you to tell us \u2013 we want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms James launched an \u201cAnonymous Report\u201d function on the Fair Work website<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0 to allow the community to alert the Fair Work Ombudsman to potential workplace issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone suspects something isn\u2019t right, but is unable or unwilling to get directly involved in resolving the issue, they can tell us about it using this new form,\u201d Ms James said.<\/p>\n

While the Fair Work Ombudsman expects to hear from employees, it also wants to hear from employers who are concerned that other businesses might be getting a competitive advantage by engaging in unlawful practices.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBusinesses that want to do the right thing by their workers, and they are the majority in my experience, can\u2019t compete with those who are willing to give themselves a competitive edge by undercutting labour costs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms James says the Fair Work Ombudsman already received many requests to provide information anonymously, and the new service was a response to community demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis creates a clear mechanism through which people can provide this information, with the comfort that they need not disclose their identity and that it will be put to good use,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course we won\u2019t be storming into a business on the basis of one anonymous tip-off, we are looking for trends and patterns here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms James said that since going live, the Anonymous Report site had received more than 500 tip-offs, three-quarters of them raising issues about wage rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe information will be collated and analysed by our Intelligence Team, which will report on trends and generate leads for our compliance areas to follow up,\u201d Ms James says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur data and intelligence capability has evolved significantly in recent years and is now at the centre of our operating model, focusing our priorities and enabling us to direct our resources to where we will be able to have the greatest impact on the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms James said the Anonymous Report was in its early days and would be refined over time to ensure that it meets the needs of the community and the agency.<\/p>\n

The Fair Work Ombudsman\u2019s existing dispute resolution processes will continue to help employees and employers resolve workplace issues directly.<\/p>\n

Last financial year, the Fair Work Ombudsman resolved more than 25,000 workplace disputes and finalised 94 per cent of requests for assistance through its assessment and dispute resolution processes.<\/p>\n

In 2014-15, the agency recovered more than $22.3 million for over 11,600 workers.<\/p>\n

The sectors generating the most requests for assistance last year were accommodation and food services (15 per cent), construction (12 per cent), administration and support services (9 per cent), retail (9 per cent) and manufacturing (8 per cent).<\/p>\n