Irene Pnevmatikos tackles wage theft

October 2018

South Australian Labor will today introduce a motion to investigate the prevalence of wage theft in South Australia and to formulate a constructive approach to ensure justice for workers.

Workers taken advantage of through sham contracting, unpaid superannuation and other statutory entitlements is a tremendous burden on families, the economy and the wider community.

According to Industry Super Australia, one third of eligible Australian workers are being underpaid. That equates to approximately 2.4 million workers nationally, and $3.6 billion stolen from the pockets of workers each year.

This confronting data regarding the prevalence of wage theft in Australia cannot be ignored.

Shadow Attorney-General Kyam Maher said it has become clear that hardworking Australians are being ripped off by employers who knowingly take advantage of workers by underpaying and exploiting them.

"A Select Committee into Wage Theft will be an opportunity to examine laws in other jurisdictions and determine the best regulatory framework to ensure unscrupulous employers can no longer rip off workers", he said.

Irene Pnevmatikos MLC underlined that Using court is costly and it is difficult to recover unpaid or underpaid wages.

"Before entering Parliament, my professional and community work has always focused on supporting and achieving results for workers and disadvantaged individuals in South Australia", Ms Pnevmatikos said.