The Fair Work Ombudsman will be auditing more than 60 7-Eleven franchises in Victoria to ensure that staff are being paid correctly.

The franchisor has formed a joint campaign with the Fair Work Ombudsman, asking 63 franchisees to supply time and wage sheets and other employment records. The audits, which will start this month and continue for several months, will also check that the store’s record keeping complies with federal workplace relations laws.

The campaign follows random audits of convenience stores in Melbourne and Sydney which returned more than $162,000 to approximately 168 underpaid workers. Issues identified during the audits include workers not being paid for some hours worked, non-payment of weekend and night penalty rates and non-compliance with record keeping and payslip obligations.

Every 7-Eleven franchise in Victoria will be audited if concerns are raised during the first round of checks.

Five 7-Eleven franchises in Melbourne CBD have had to reimburse 88 workers with $112,000 and a sixth store has been asked to credit almost 1,000 hours of annual leave to 12 staff.

Fair Work Ombudsman executive director, Michael Campbell, said A significant number of 7-Eleven workers, such as young people, foreign students and migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds, are vulnerable to being underpaid and exploited because they are often not aware of their workplace rights or are reluctant to complain.

To the credit of the franchisor of Victoria’s 7-Eleven stores, it shares our concerns with the issues identified and agreed to assist us in this extensive state-wide campaign.

In a statement, 7-Eleven said it takes the rights of franchise employees very seriously. We insist our franchisees comply with all relevant legislation and continue to communicate to franchisees about the importance of adhering to award rates, regardless of whether staff members are family members, or on a trial period, it read.