A recent report by the McKell Institute – The Economic Impact of Wage Theft in South Australia has found that the combined impact of underpaid wages and non-payment of superannuation are likely costing SA workers more than $500 million per year.
For years the SDA has been calling for changes to workplace laws so that there are strong disincentives for employers to break the law, as well as laws that allow working people to quickly and easily recover stolen wages and superannuation.
This week the SDA made a submission on behalf of our members to the Select Committee into Wage Theft in South Australia. Today’s shocking report into wage theft sadly confirms what we already knew. We’ve called for better education about workplace rights, criminal penalties for employers who steal from their employees, and improved resourcing to tackle wage theft.
Some of the key findings of the report were:
- It is likely that around 165,000-170,000 South Australian workers are impacted by wage theft to varying degrees
- Medium estimates of the combined loss of superannuation and income in South Australia due to wage theft is around $560 million
- There is little federal oversight of wage compliance in South Australia
- In the last few years, funding to the Fair Work Ombudsman has almost halved meaning less capacity to ensure employers are correctly paying their employees
The SDA is committed to ending the scourge of wage theft. If you suspect that you may not have received your workplace entitlements including superannuation contact us on 8139 1000.