A franchisee in regional New South Wales has reimbursed a team of 26 employees almost $40,000 after the Fair Work Ombudsman stepped in to correct the wages underpayment.

The employees worked for Bakers Delight franchisee JCMA Pty Ltd which ran retail stores in Bateau Bay and Wyong – the company no longer operates the Wyong outlet.

The workers were not paid their full minimum hourly pay rates, casual loadings, penalty rates or shift allowances. Individual underpayments ranged from $104 to $3672.

The underpayments were spotted when the Ombudsman conducted a pro-active audit of JCMA’s stores.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said the businss had fully co-operated with the agency, repaid the due wages, and installed processes to ensure compliance with federal workplace regulation.

JCMA has also signed an Enforceable undertaking that further self-auditing will ensure employees are receiving their full legal entitlements and it has agreed to use the new Fair Work Ombudsman online tool My Account.

James said “We know workplace laws can be complicated for the uninitiated, and for those who are not industrial experts, but we ask small businesses to use the tools and resources that we provide for them and inform themselves.”

• Last month a sushi franchisee paid back underpaid employees.