RSPCA QLD to back-pay $4.3m to more than 1000 workers
RSPCA Queensland is paying back $4.3 million to more than 1,000 staff following a Fair Work Ombudsman investigation.
The nonprofit will reimburse its 1,008 temporary, full-time and part-time staff for missing payments, including interest and pension.
Affected staff are current and former veterinary, administrative, retail and café workers on the Sunshine Coast, Logan, Cairns, Gladstone and Townsville in Brisbane, where most of the underpayments occurred.
The animal welfare charity notified the Fair Work Ombudsman after a change to the payslip in 2023 sparked a review.
The underpayments continued for more than seven years, from February 2017 to October 2024, according to the Ombudsman.
Reimbursements for each employee range from less than a dollar to $70,383.
But on average the payback is $3943.
Queensland Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said the written agreement or enforceable undertaking (EU) was “appropriate” for the charity given it was co-operating with the FWO’s investigation and was committed to correcting the underpayments.
“As part of the enforceable undertaking, RSPCA Queensland is required to commission an independent audit, at its own expense, to check compliance with workplace laws and to remediate any other breaches,” Ms Booth said.
“We welcome RSPCA Queensland’s acknowledgment of its breaches, the underlying issues and the actions taken to rectify them and ensure its employees comply with the rules in the future.”
Ms Booth said this was a good reminder that employers needed to check their systems were fit for purpose and meet their obligations to pay employees all the correct wages and benefits.
“This matter serves as a warning of the significant long-standing problems that can arise when an employer does not have appropriate checks and balances to ensure compliance in the workplace,” he said.
“We expect employers to meet their legal obligations under their operating agreements and applicable provisions.
“Worker benefits such as overtime and penalty rates are important and can quickly lead to a large underpayment bill if they are not paid correctly when they should be.”
Under the EU, RSPCA Queensland must ensure payroll staff have adequate training and staff will also be able to raise concerns about their pay or working conditions through a helpline.
The charity’s board will also need to monitor its compliance and also consult regularly with employees and their unions on pay compliance.
They must also notify former and current employees of missing payments and inform the FWO of any new systems and processes it has implemented to ensure compliance in the future.
