Record high $8 million recovered for workers in South Australia and the Northern Territory

The SDA has returned over $8,000,000 for workers who were underpaid, ripped off or mistreated at work between January – September 2025.

Wage theft and exploitation are rife across Australia. Far too many workers are being underpaid or taken advantage of by their employer.

We’re committed to stamping out wage theft and exploitation in all workplaces and sending a clear message to all employers: ripping off workers is not a business model.

From misclassifications and unpaid allowances to working past their finish time, it all adds up and it all matters.

This $8 million figure is proof of the power of union membership, of how powerful we can be when we stand together.

It can take a lot of courage for workers to speak up, but when they do, all workers benefit.

Without union members, this money would still be sitting with employers and would not have been returned to workers’ pockets.

From widespread underpayments to missed hours and allowances, the SDA is here to help all workers get what they’re owed.

The SDA Legal Team regularly runs underpayment claims, unfair dismissal cases and workers compensations claims for SDA members, seeking compensation and fairness.

From calculating your underpayment to approaching management, the SDA is here to help you every step of the way.

The SDA is continuing to pursue compensation for workers over alleged underpayments and breach of their rights at work right across the country.

In South Australia, we are actively pursuing backpay for workers at Chemist Warehouse and Sexyland.

Across Australia, we’re also seeking compensation for workers at McDonald’s and KFC over the alleged denial of paid rest breaks and at McDonald’s and ALDI for unpaid work.

No employer is above the law. All workers must be paid at the correct rate for all time worked and must receive all entitlements that are owed to them.