Proactive compliance campaigns

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Private Sector Labour Relations undertakes proactive compliance campaigns to improve compliance by employers with state employment laws.  Our current campaigns and recently completed campaigns are detailed below. 

Current campaigns

Café and restaurant businesses in the state industrial relations system - March 2023

Private Sector Labour Relations is continuing the cafés and restaurants compliance campaign focused on the café and restaurant sector covered by the state industrial relations system.

During the campaign, industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations will inspect businesses to check whether employees are receiving their correct pay rates and entitlements, and that business owners are complying with their record keeping obligations.

Previous campaigns

Hairdressing industry employers in the state industrial relations system - March 2022

Private Sector Labour Relations commenced a proactive compliance campaign in March 2022 focused on employing hairdressing industry businesses in the state industrial relations system.

During the campaign, businesses were audited by industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations to check whether employees were receiving their correct pay rates and entitlements, and whether business owners were maintaining correct employment records.

For specific information on the campaign, visit the Employment obligations in the hairdressing industry page.

Café and restaurant businesses in the state industrial relations system - 2019 to 2022

Private Sector Labour Relations initiated the cafés and restaurants compliance campaign to ensure that employees working in the café and restaurant sector covered by the state industrial relations system were receiving their correct pay rates and entitlements, and whether business owners were maintaining correct employment records.

The campaign commenced in October 2019, with café and restaurant businesses subsequently visited by industrial inspectors to audit employment records. In March 2020, the campaign was suspended for a period of time due to COVID-19.

View the Evaluation Report – cafes and restaurants campaign - October 2019 - October 2020 for further information about the results of the first stage of the campaign.

Due to the high level of non-compliance by cafés and restaurants in the state industrial relation system, Private Sector Labour Relations continued to proactively inspect café and restaurant businesses during 2021-22.

Industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations audited 125 cafes and restaurants during the 2021-22 financial year, recovering a total of $180,416 in underpayments on behalf of employees.

For specific information on the campaign view the Employment obligations for cafés and restaurant sector page.

Horticulture employers in the state industrial relations system - August 2021

Private Sector Labour Relations commenced a proactive compliance campaign in August 2021 focused on horticulture industry businesses in the state industrial relations system.

During the campaign, businesses were audited by industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations to check whether employees were receiving their correct pay rates and entitlements, and whether business owners were maintaining correct employment records.

For specific information on the campaign, visit the Employment obligations for the horticulture industry page.

Beauty salons in the state industrial relations system - 2019

This state-wide education campaign focussed on minimum rates of pay and staff entitlements for workers in beauty salons operating in the state industrial relations system.

In July 2019 over 500 businesses across Western Australia were provided with information on the minimum conditions for employees in this industry.  

Following the education phase of this campaign, selected beauty salon businesses were audited by industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations to ensure that employees received the correct rates of pay and entitlements and that business owners were maintaining correct employment records. 

Wageline news announcement about the campaign moving to the audit phase was published in September 2019. 

Employment of children in takeaway food businesses - 2019

The takeaway food industry is a significant employer of young people in Western Australia.  The Children and Community Services Act 2004 (CCS Act) restricts when children under 15 can work in takeaway food businesses, and a proactive campaign to improve compliance with the child employment laws was launched in April 2019. 

As part of the education stage of this campaign, Wageline sent hundreds of takeaway food businesses across Western Australia information about their obligations for employing children.  This included an information brochure: Laws restrict when children under 15 can work in takeaway food businesses.

Following the education component of the campaign, a select number of businesses were audited by industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations to ensure that children were not being employed or otherwise engaged in breach of the CCS Act.

More information about the employment of children in takeaway food businesses is available on the Employment of children laws in WA – shop, restaurant, fast food or takeaway food business page.

Nail salons in the state industrial relations system - 2018 and 2019

Private Sector Labour Relations Division industrial inspectors have found that one in four nail salons were non-compliant with state employment laws in a proactive compliance campaign conducted in the year to June 2019.

Nail salon businesses were audited by industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations to ensure that employees were receiving their correct pay rate entitlements, and that business owners were maintaining correct employment records. 

The findings from this proactive compliance campaign have been released and can be viewed in the Nail Salons Proactive Compliance Campaign Evaluation Report

Horse riding schools and equestrian centres 2018 

The Children and Community Services Act 2004 (CCS Act) prohibits children under 15 working in horse riding schools and equestrian centres.  In September 2018, Private Sector Labour Relations commenced a campaign to promote compliance by horse riding schools and equestrian centre businesses with the child employment laws.

Following the education component of the campaign, selected businesses were audited by industrial inspectors from Private Sector Labour Relations to ensure that children were not being employed or otherwise engaged in breach of the CCS Act. 

Of the 78 businesses included in the compliance audit, no breaches were identified, with a majority of businesses returning Compliance undertaking forms confirming that children under the age of 15 years of age were not employed. Read the complete findings in the Proactive Compliance Campaign Evaluation Report – Horse riding schools and equestrian centres

For more information on the CCS Act and the campaign refer to the Employment of children laws in WA - horse riding schools and equestrian centres page.

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