The former operators of a Mildura restaurant have been fined $11,550 after they failed to provide employment records for an employee who claimed he had been underpaid.
Grenpro Pty Ltd, which formerly operated the Chaffey Restaurant on Deakin Avenue, Mildura, has been penalised $9625.
Mildura man Aaron Michael Grennan, who is Grenpro’s sole director and part-owner and who formerly managed the restaurant, has also been fined $1925.
The penalties were imposed in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court following a prosecution by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Grennan admitted he was responsible for Grenpro breaching national workplace laws by failing to comply with requests to provide employment records.
Under the Fair Work Act, employers must comply with requests from the Fair Work Ombudsman to provide employment records relating to employees and former employees.
The Fair Work Ombudsman requested employment records from Grenpro in November, 2009 during its investigation of an underpayment complaint lodged by a man the company had employed as a cook at Chaffey Restaurant in 2008-09.
Grennan also admitted he was responsible for Grenpro breaching national workplace laws by failing to issue pay slips to the employee.
Fair Work Ombudsman Executive Director Michael Campbell says employers who fail to comply with requests for records can face serious consequences.
“Failing to comply with a request to provide records is a serious matter because it can hamper the ability of Fair Work inspectors to determine whether workers have received their full entitlements,” he said.
