The Fair Work Ombudsman has used accessorial liability laws to obtain penalties against an accounting firm for knowingly assisting one of its clients to exploit a worker.
Victorian firm Ezy Accounting 123 Pty Ltd was penalised over $50,000 last year after the Federal Circuit Court found the firm to have facilitated underpayments by its client to two employees, both Taiwanese workers.
The penalties were imposed by the Federal Circuit Court after Ezy Accounting 123 Pty Ltd's client Blue Impression, admitted to underpaying two staff members in one of its Japanese fast food restaurants in Melbourne between 2014 and 2015.
Both the workers were in Australia on 417 working visas when the underpayments took place and were being paid under the minimum award wage. The workers were also refused a clothing allowance, penalty rates or other entitlements under the award.
The Fair Work Ombudsman is working to protect vulnerable workers and is increasing the maximum penalties for misconduct including deliberate exploitation of workers and false records on behalf of both the external business adviser and the employer themselves.
See original article here.
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