Credit: Dreamstime
Brisbane-based Macquarie Technology Group International and its director have been once again penalised for unfairly dismissing an employee.
Macquarie Technology engineers, distributes, installs and services wireless technology for radio communication.
In 2014, the Fair Work Commission ordered the reseller to pay $20,769 compensation to an engineer it found had been unfairly dismissed, and later also ordered it to pay the employee costs of $8,470.
However, after payments were not made, the Fair Work Ombudsman took legal action which resulted in a record penalty totalling $125,600 against an employer.
Specifically, Wallace was penalised with $20,600 in the Federal Circuit Court and the company with a further $105,000.
Macquarie Technology appealed to the results but the Federal Court of Australia dismissed it in December 2016.
In March 2011, the Fair Work Ombudsman launched a prosecution against the operators of Macquarie Technology and Wi-Man for allegedly underpaying one of its workers almost $6000.
At the time the businesses imported and distributed computer hardware, mainly wireless modems for radio devices and had Wallace as a director, shareholder and manager of both companies.
Wi-Man allegedly failed to pay the employee $1408 in accrued annual leave entitlements on termination in June 2008.
Furthermore, Macquarie Technology allegedly failed to pay $3593 in accrued annual leave entitlements on termination in April, 2009 and wages of $945.
Wallace faced at the time maximum penalties of $6600 per breach and the companies each face maximum penalties of $33,000 per breach.
The Fair Work Ombudsman secured penalties totalling $6,380 against Wallace and the company in Court in 2011 - the underpayment was rectified only after the Fair Work Ombudsman initiated legal action.
“The penalties obtained by the Fair Work Ombudsman send a strong message to businesses that there are serious consequences for failing to comply with Fair Work Commission Orders,” Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker stated.
"It is fundamental for the integrity of the workplace relations system that orders are complied with and we will take legal action to ensure employees receive compensation."
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