2017-10-04
Greens call for Royal Commission into Underpayment of Penalty Rates and Other Wage Theft
Following the release of a Senate Inquiry into penalty rates, Greens spokesperson for industrial relations Adam Bandt MP today announced that the Greens are calling for a Royal Commission to fully investigate the extent of wage theft and below-award payment in Australia.
It's becoming apparent that failings in our industrial laws have allowed some of Australia's biggest companies to pay workers at below award rates," said Mr Bandt.
"We fear we've only seen the tip of the iceberg and we now need a full inquiry to determine just how much workers are losing."
"Instead of witch hunts into unions, we need a Royal Commission specifically looking into underpayment and wage theft across the country to protect workers and get to the bottom of the problem."
Contact: Gideon Reisner, 0429 109 054
Attached the Greens' recommendation for a Royal Commission from the recent Senate's inquiry into penalty rates. Please note that the Royal Commission is not into any organisation in particular and nor is it sector specific, but instead aims to fully investigate wage theft and below-award payments in Australia.
A link to the report can be accessed here. The recommendation in question can be found on page 55: