'It's rife': third of young workers report wage theft
The 22-year-old has worked for multiple employers who either didn't pay her correctly, forced her to work through legally mandated breaks or didn't pass on deducted superannuation to her fund.
"Wage theft is absolutely rife, for sure," Ms McDowall told AAP.
"I know more people my age who have spent any significant amount of time in hospitality that have had wages lost than haven't."
Ms McDowall is among more than one in three young workers who report being ripped off, according to University of Melbourne research released on Tuesday.
Two-thirds were forced to pay for work-related items such as uniforms or protective equipment, almost one-third were not paid compulsory super and more than one-third were banned from taking entitled breaks.
One in five said they had been paid off the books, almost 10 per cent were paid in food or products and eight per cent said they never received a pay slip.
"The extent of all the different ways that people are being denied their entitlements or employers are breaking the law shocked me," study lead John Howe said.
"The majority of employers are doing the right thing, but there's obviously a significant proportion of employers cutting corners with their young workers wherever they can."
About one-third reported being paid as little as $15 a hour, well below the national minimum wage of $24.95 per hour, but Professor Howe worries the true scale of underpayments could be greater.
"It could be a lot higher, because a lot of workers weren't sure if they were being underpaid," he said.
"Vulnerable workers are worried about raising complaints or asking questions about their entitlements because they don't want to jeopardise their job."
Researchers expected to find exploitation among hospitality workers but also identified workers being ripped off in utilities industries such as gas and water, agriculture, forestry and even unionised workforces, including mining.
Some 2814 workers younger than 30 took part in the survey conducted by the Melbourne Law School as part of its Fair Day's Work project.
Only one in three reported seeking help from a union or body such as the Fair Work Ombudsman, with Prof Howe recalling many expressed helplessness over their situation.
Now a women's organiser for Trades Hall, Ms McDowall believes her experiences fighting for her minimum entitlements were vital in gaining the skills she needs in her new career.
She encouraged anyone to stick up for themselves, pointing to the Fair Work Wage Calculator and Young Workers Centre as great places to start.
"It's so important that we are teaching young people how to determine what their pay should be and how to teach people how to have those conversations," she said.
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The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Sea of green as Aussie shares notch highest-ever close
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ON THE ASX: * The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Tuesday gained 106.7 points, or 1.23 per cent, to 8,770.4 * The broader All Ordinaries rose 106.8 points, or 1.20 per cent, to 9,028.8 CURRENCY SNAPSHOT: One Australian dollar buys: * 64.60 US cents, from 64.81 US cents on Monday . * 95.17 Japanese yen, from 95.68 Japanese yen * 55.93 euro cents, from 65.02 euro cents * 48.65 British pence, from 48.80 British pence * 109.68 NZ cents, from 109.60 NZ cents Australia's share market has posted its best-ever close as confidence around company earnings and future interest rate cuts washed out global growth concerns. The S&P/ASX200 surged 106.7 points higher, up 1.23 per cent, to 8,770.4, while the broader All Ordinaries shot 106.8 points higher, or 1.20 per cent, to 9,028.8. The result pipped the top-200's previous record close of 8,757.2, but finished just six points shy of its intraday best of 8,776.4 set in mid-July. 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ON THE ASX: * The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Tuesday gained 106.7 points, or 1.23 per cent, to 8,770.4 * The broader All Ordinaries rose 106.8 points, or 1.20 per cent, to 9,028.8 CURRENCY SNAPSHOT: One Australian dollar buys: * 64.60 US cents, from 64.81 US cents on Monday . * 95.17 Japanese yen, from 95.68 Japanese yen * 55.93 euro cents, from 65.02 euro cents * 48.65 British pence, from 48.80 British pence * 109.68 NZ cents, from 109.60 NZ cents Australia's share market has posted its best-ever close as confidence around company earnings and future interest rate cuts washed out global growth concerns. The S&P/ASX200 surged 106.7 points higher, up 1.23 per cent, to 8,770.4, while the broader All Ordinaries shot 106.8 points higher, or 1.20 per cent, to 9,028.8. The result pipped the top-200's previous record close of 8,757.2, but finished just six points shy of its intraday best of 8,776.4 set in mid-July. The prospect of cheaper US and Australian borrowing costs helped interest rate-sensitive sectors like financials, real estate, technology and consumer discretionary stocks lead all 11 segments higher. On top of this, Australia's prospect as a market where investors could weather uncertainty elsewhere was likely growing, Pepperstone head of research Chris Weston said. "We've got a very, very stable banking sector with excellent liquidity, so you're looking for a safe harbour in this kind of area, I think Australia ticks the right boxes" he told AAP. "Now, you're not going to get a huge amount of foreign investments looking at Australia, because you do have a scarcity of incredibly liquid assets." Tuesday's performance showed investors weren't worried about taking on risk heading into earnings season, Mr Weston said. Consumer discretionary stocks led the gains with a 1.8 per cent surge, as Bunnings owner Wesfarmers jumped 2.83 per cent to $87.52 per share and JB Hi-Fi lifted 1.8 per cent to $115.80. The financial sector surged 1.5 per cent as all big four banks' respective market caps sailed 1.4 per cent or more higher on a sea of green. NAB was the best performer, rallying 1.6 per cent to $38.80. Australia's IT sector wiped out Monday's losses with a 1.3 per cent gain, tracking with an overnight rally in US tech stocks. Hopes of cheaper borrowing costs helped real estate stocks push 1.4 per cent higher, with strong performances by Dexus, GPT Group and Charter Hall. Miners rallied for a second straight day, as continued strength in iron ore prices helped push large caps BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue 0.4 per cent to 0.5 per cent higher. Gold producers also pushed higher despite a slight downtick in the gold prices during the session, with Newmont Corporation (+4.1 per cent) and Ramelius Resources (+3.9 per cent) standing out. Rare earths miner Iluka Resources was the top-200's best performer with a 8.7 per cent surge after federal resources minister Madeleine King flagged setting a price floor for the commodity group to shore up investment. Also with some help from government was second-best performer Austal, the shipbuilder's shares pushing 7.9 per cent higher after securing billions in defence contracts and winning strategic asset designation by the federal government, which will make it a tough takeover target for overseas buyers. The Australian dollar is buying 64.60 US cents, edging higher than 64.41 US cents on Monday at 5pm. 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Herald Sun
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