Senate Standing Committee on Education and
Employment
Senate Estimates Brief – February 2014
Wages and Entitlements
Key messages
• FWO now has carriage of wages and entitlement matters;
• This is allowing FWBC to return to its core business.
Changes
On 3 December 2013 FWBC and FWO reached an agreement for wage and entitlement matters to go
back to FWO.
Current data - investigations
• The last wages and entitlements investigation was launched on 29 November 2013.
• FWBC has since formally referred 0 wages and entitlements matters to FWO.
• FWBC has had 60 inquiries into wages and entitlements since 3 December 2013. Inquiries
relating exclusively to wages and entitlements are informally referred to the FWO.
Staffing
FWBC has not measured the division of resources between wages and entitlements and other
matters. There has been no transfer of resources to FWO.
Historical data - recoveries, Investigations
• 1 October 2010, FWBC took over wages and entitlements
• Full hand over from FWO on 1 March 2011 (ABC Inspectors = FW Inspectors)
• As at 20 February (since 1 March 2011):
$2,595,805 actually recovered for
1,672 workers
through investigations and targeted audit campaigns.
• As at 20 February (since 1 March 2011): $2,687,629 recorded as
potential recovery for
workers through investigations and targeted audit campaigns.
• Between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013 (last financial year):
o
572 enquiries received relating to pay and entitlements, and 532 (93%) resolved
within three days
o
165 investigations relating to wage and entitlements on hand during the financial year.
o
157 finalised
• FWBC currently has 17 wages and entitlements matters on foot (6 with Ops and 11 with
Legal
1
APPENDIX A
FWBC Industry Update article – Issued 29 November 2013
NEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR WAGES AND ENTITLEMENTS
From now on, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) will handle wages and entitlement matters relating to
the building and construction industry.
FWO has specialist expertise dealing with these matters. As a result, FWBC will complete all of the
wages and entitlement matters it has on foot, but will refer new matters to FWO.
This new approach will allow FWBC to focus on its core business of regulating industrial action,
freedom of association, right of entry and discrimination.
FWO’s full contact details, including answers to the top five questions are available here. Or you can
call FWO on 13 13 94.
You can call FWBC’s Hotline on 1800 003 338 for confidential advice between 7am and 7pm AEST
Monday to Friday.
We value your feedback on our Industry Update. Provide feedback or tell us what you would like in
your update at: xxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx or contact Damien O’Meara on 03 8509 3041.
