The Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Act 2017 came into effect from 15 September 2017.

The law means there are harsher penalties for serious breaches of employment entitlements and record keeping failures starting today. If an employer fails to keep records and an employee claims they have been underpaid, the employer must also prove they did in fact meet their obligations and paid the employee correctly.

What are the changes?

The following changes apply from today:

• Increased penalties for serious violations of the Fair Work Act; where an employer is knowingly breaching their obligations and is doing so systematically
• Prohibits employers requiring ‘cashback’ from current or prospective employees (ie unreasonably making an employee spend or pay money for the benefit of the employer)
• Increased penalties for employers that breach their record-keeping and pay slip obligations such as failing to keep accurate records or providing false or misleading information to their employees
• Stronger powers for the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) to investigate breaches of the Fair Work Act

Who do the changes impact?

The changes apply to all employers and employees covered by the Fair Work Act, but are particularly important for franchisors and holding companies.

Franchisor and holding company liability.

Franchisors and holding companies will be responsible if their franchisees and subsidiaries do not follow workplace laws about minimum entitlements, including the National Employment Standards, Awards, sham contracting, record-keeping and pay slips.

These changes came into force on 27 October 2017.

A number of changes were introduced in 2018 to Workplace Legislation.

The Top 10 changes are discussed in this article.

What do I need to do?

It is important to understand the obligations of employers, and it is more important than ever to ensure correct pay and record-keeping practices to avoid increased penalties and regulatory powers.

It is vital that employers keep accurate records for at least seven years (including details of the employee’s name, commencement date, employment status, pay, hours worked, leave, superannuation contributions) and pay slips must be provided to employees within one working day of payment.

If you are unsure about your record-keeping, pay slip or other obligations, contact the Employsure Advice team on 1300 651 415 or email [email protected]