Australia's Channel 9 News reported on February 2 that an Asian restaurant in Adelaide's Chinatown was accused of deducting more than 400,000 Australian dollars from employees, most of whom were Vietnamese students.
According to the report, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has taken the operators of Mr Viet's restaurant, Viet Quoc Mai and Huong Le, to the federal court.
The couple is alleged to have underpaid 36 employees, most of whom were Vietnamese students, between January 2018 and September 2021.
The employees were deducted from wages ranging from $74 to $58,000, with 15 of them having their wages deducted more than $10,000.
(Photo source: Australian Channel 9 News)
The couple is also suspected of violating payslip keeping regulations, falsifying records, and asking employees to spend.
Investigator Anna Booth said: "In this case, the garment of wages, the provision of false records to obstruct the investigation, and the numerous irregularities are appalling. ”
(Photo source: Australian Channel 9 News)
The alleged wage deduction was discovered during an audit of restaurants, cafes and fast food outlets in Adelaide during an audit conducted by the FWO in April 2021.
At that time, inspectors found that employees were paid two different hourly wages, one in a bank account and the other in cash, which allowed Viet to deduct wages and avoid offering the benefits to which employees were entitled.
"Viet and Le also penalize employees by buying food or drinks for Viet, Le and other on-the-job employees if an employee makes six mistakes," the FWO said. ”
When inspectors arrived at the restaurant, Viet provided fake pay stubs and instructed employees to lie.
(Photo source: Australian Channel 9 News)
Viet and Le face fines of up to $126,000 or $133,200 for each serious offence, and up to $12,600 or $13,300 for other offences.
The FWO is also seeking a court order requiring Viet to rectify the unpaid wages. At this time, the date of the hearing has not been set.