Filipino Worker Short-Changed, Received Entitlements

A Filipino worker recruited to work on the construction of a new brewery in Melbourne was underpaid more than $20,000 in just three months, an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman has found. Image: Fair Work Ombudsman (Fair Work Ombudsman website)

The employee, who we call John, signed a contract that provided he be sponsored on a 457 visa and engaged on a salary of $55,000 a year for four years.

 

However, without the worker's knowledge and before he left the Philippines, the employer paid for and arranged for a short-stay 400 temporary work visa instead, which allowed him to remain in Australia for up to 88 days.