Workplace ombudsman forces flower firm to pay $46,000 in backpay, takes aim at transport sector

A Queensland flower wholesaler has agreed to provide $46,000 in backpay to more than 100 workers following a Workplace Ombudsman investigation.

A Queensland flower wholesaler has agreed to provide $46,000 in backpay to more than 100 workers following a Workplace Ombudsman investigation.

The company, which has not been named, accepted that it made a mistake in the hourly pay rates, weekend rates and early morning and late night overtime rates it paid staff.

The investigation was part of a co-ordinated program of pay and conditions audits in the sector in Queensland.

The transport industry will be the ombudsman’s next target, with a national campaign of workplace audits about to kick off.

Firms involved in short distance road freight, long distance haulage, public, charter and tourist bus services, and admin workers in the sector will be a particular focus.

A Workplace Ombudsman spokesman says that a relatively large proportion of the complaints they receive relate to the transport sector, often in relation to the payment of minimum rates and overtime.

“We target the industries we see as high risk and attract a large number of complaints,” the spokesman says.

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