The SDA welcomes the Albanese Government’s announcement of a new Fair Work Court to make it easier, faster and cheaper for workers to access justice and recover unpaid wages.
This Court will be a specialised tribunal to handle workplace disputes and underpayment matters.
Wage theft is rife across Australia. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, Australian workers lose out on over $1 billion in wages each year.
Young workers are particularly at risk of wage theft, with one in five workers aged under 25 being paid below the legal minimum.
This Court will make it easier for wage theft victims to seek justice and remove hurdles which prevent them from pursuing compensation.
Under the current system, workers can wait up to two years for an outcome on an underpayment claim. In some cases, the legal fees can cost more than what they’re owed.
The creation of a Fair Work Court will empower more workers to take action and make it easier and quicker for unions to resolve underpayment claims and other disputes.
This Court would have been a great help to SDA members like Sarah, who was underpaid when she was 17. It took Sarah over two years to recover the wages she was owed.
By reducing delays and barriers to justice, the Fair Work Court would have helped Sarah get her money back much sooner.
The SDA is committed to stamping out underpayments and wage theft in retail, fast food and warehousing.
It doesn’t matter if it’s working an extra few minutes, doing training outside of your hours, working through your break or being paid the wrong classification – the SDA is here to help you recover any lost wages.
If you’ve been underpaid at work, we’re here to help. Contact the SDA for support and advice.