Are you underpaid? Get ready for sending your employer to prison

Australia government is introducing a bill barring ‘wage theft’

LAHORE (Web Desk) – Being underpaid is the most common work-related complaint around the world. But in Pakistan, it is more widespread and rightly so, especially amid the current economic crisis which has produced record-high inflation and reduced the purchasing power at an alarming rate.

You must be thinking about how to make your employer worker-friendly or even about getting him punished. But have you ever dreamed of sending him or her to prison? Well! It may become possible if you are in Australia.

Reuters says the Labour government will introduce legislation to close "loopholes" in workplace law, a move opposed by employer groups fearing higher costs, when parliament returns on Monday.

Workplace Minister Tony Burke said on Sunday he would introduce the bill making it a criminal offence to deliberately underpay workers, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a maximum fine of A$7.8 million ($5.0 million).

Penalties would not apply to employers who make honest mistakes, Burke said in a statement.

Details of the legislation have not been released. Burke said in a speech last week that in addition to criminalising "wage theft", the bill would make it easier for casual workers to gain permanent roles, scrutinise the use of labour hire firms to undercut minimum pay rates, and introduce minimum standards for "gig economy" workers, including in food delivery and rideshare apps.

He said on Sunday in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the impact on business would be minimal, although "there are some people who will have to pay more". Businesses with fewer than 15 employees would be exempt from some provisions, he said in a statement.

Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott called proposed changes "unworkable" on Friday, telling Sky News, "It's going to add to cost, add to complexity, make it harder to get casual work, make it harder to employ people".

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said the law will restrict independent contracting and threaten the viability of online food delivery and rideshare services.

DOES WAGE THEFT REALLY HELP EMPLOYERS?

Being underpaid is the biggest possible discouragement a worker can feel. Obviously, there is no attraction to be productive according to your potential. Both the employer and the employee are aiming at the same thing – financial benefits. If one gets what he wants, then why the other would be satisfied?

Thus, it kills research and innovation which directly impact the employer negatively. Why a worker will even think about sharing any new idea when even the immediate needs aren’t fulfilled.

Hence, those mediocre minds with limited mental capacity find ample room to flourish in this environment produced by the employer himself. It doesn’t stop there as these people ensure induction of only those who have limited capacity just like them to ensure that they are safe and secure.

So, there is no bond between the employer and the employees in the absence of any incentive for the latter. They will leave the job as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, “equal pay for all” is another form of wage theft which may seems appealing at first. It means that everyone gets the same pay while working in a certain position – making minimum pay actually the maximum pay. However, it means that an employee who is less productive in terms of ideas or quality and the other with opposite traits would get the same pay.

By using this “same pay for all” principle, the employer certainly gets short-term gains but it makes the organisation less attractive for the current and would-be productive employees who won’t want to associate themselves in the long run.

Certainly, no employer is a long-term beneficiary of ‘wage theft’, if he wants to see his organisation prosper and topping the list at the cost of its competitors.

But whatever the reasons and effects of wage theft are, you will first have to move to Australia for claiming that you are a victim of a criminal offence.