The claim by chef Rohit Karki, who worked at the prestigious Rockpool Bar & Grill restaurant, could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in underpayment penalties and damages. The Federal Court claim follows an investigation by Australian newspaper The Sunday Age which exposed systemic wage underpayment at the Perry-fronted Rockpool Dining Group. Staff were being paid for 38 hours a week while regularly working 20 to 30 hours of unpaid overtime. The tough physical work and extreme hours left him despairing, in particular before he got Australian permanent residency in 2014. The private equity-owned Rockpool business agreed to pay back staff A$1.6 million last October for a single year of underpayment.

Source: Stuff July 21, 2019 03:14 UTC