Australian authorities recover cash for underpaid Filipino seafarers
Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman has recovered A$100,649 ($77,309) for ten seafarers from the Philippines who were underpaid while working in Australian waters in the first half of last year.
During the voyages, the lowest ranked crew members received as little as A$5 per hour.
The highest amount recovered for an individual worker was A$16,677.
Under Australia’s Seagoing Industry Award 2010 the lowest ranked workers were entitled to receive at least A$17.29 per hour and A$21.61 for overtime hours.
The operator of the vessel, an unidentified international company with headquarters outside of Australia, claimed that it was unaware its obligations under Australian workplace laws because it had never operated voyages within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone before.
A formal letter of caution was also issued, placing the employer on notice that future breaches of Australian workplace laws may trigger enforcement action, including litigation.