Sydney cafe found exploiting Korean workers
Image: Incanto Coffee on Kent Street under investigation. Photo: Kenji Sato.
BY KENJI SATO
A recent case of extreme wage exploitation of international students has sparked calls for more government education on workers’ rights.
The Fair Work Ombudsman found that South Korean backpackers and students had been heavily under-paid at Incanto Coffee outlets in Sydney.
The employees were paid around $5.05 an hour. Under the Restaurant Industry Award, the employees were entitled to a minimum of $24.19 per hour, and up to $43.38 per hour during public holidays.
The three female employees, who spoke little English, had been working at the cafes for nine months.
The jobs had been advertised on a Korean website.
Before returning to South Korea, the employees contacted the Fair Work Ombudsman, sparking the investigation.
Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said Fair Work inspectors are increasingly finding cases of employers from non-English speaking backgrounds not complying with Australian workplace relations laws.
“Anyone operating a business, including migrants, needs to ensure they take the time to understand the workplace laws applicable to their business,” Ms James said.
President of the Council of International Students Australia, Nina Khairina, said that the government should work with universities to provide more information services to vulnerable international students.
“There’s not enough help for international students for general inquiries – and more serious ones as well,” Ms Khairina said.
“There is a critical six month period, when international students become adjusted to Australian life and start to seek employment. The universities should be able to identify those difficult periods. But it can’t be done just through the universities. The universities have to work alongside the student unions and the government to raise awareness.”
Ms Khairina said that hotlines, fliers, campaigns, open tables, and online forums should be used to educate international students about their workplace rights.
“If there’s any international students out there that are being exploited, don’t fear reporting it. People are on your side at the moment, so please, please report it immediately,” she urged.
The owner-operator of the cafes, Kyung Jun Kim, and his company Marsil Pty Ltd, have paid back the employees in full, a total of $38,748 for the nine month period.
Mr Kim communicated with the Fair Work Ombudsman through an interpreter, and he has agreed to an independent audit of his company and will undertake workplace relations training.
