Penalties of $170,000 have been imposed on the owners of Café 63 following an investigation into wage theft that included paying staff in food and drink.
The wage theft related to the underpayment of 33 employees in 2017 and 2018 – largely visa holders who were employed as cooks, kitchen attendants and food and beverage attendants.
The company breached Award conditions by failing to pay by hourly minimum wage rates, casual loading, penalty rates and overtime entitlements.
Workers were also paid an “allowance” through the right to eat meals and consume beverages to the value of $35 per day – a breach of the obligation under the Fair Work Act to pay staff in money.
