Employment authorities are planning to to hit Canberra's shonky retail employers with an audit blitz in coming weeks.
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And many businesses in the capital have good reason to worry, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman. More than half of those audited in a crackdown two years ago were found to have been ripping off their workers.
The Ombudsman's inspectors will focus their efforts on the high-risk retail and service sectors. Hairdressers and beauty salons, cafes, restaurants and take-away outlets are likely to get a visit.
The targeted industries have generated the most calls for help to the Ombudsman's office in the past four years.
The "education and compliance campaign" will check that employers are paying workers the correct minimum hourly rates, penalty rates, allowances and loadings and are providing meal breaks.
Fair Work inspectors will be active in Civic, Braddon, Dickson, Belconnen, Bruce, Holt and Gungahlin, where there are large numbers of small businesses.
The last blitz, in 2013, resulted in $280,000 being paid to 500 waiters, chefs, kitchen hands and other restaurant and cafe workers after 179 businesses were audited.
More than 60 per cent of the outlets were found to be "non-compliant with workplace laws".
Acting Fair Work Ombudsman Michael Campbell says the ACT has fewer calls for help from workers to his office than other states and territories, but a large number of the complaints about Canberra employers are substantiated, resulting in businesses being forced to pay workers the wages or entitlements illegally denied them.
Mr Campbell said his agency hoped to find better compliance rates among ACT business this time after recent efforts to educate employers on their obligations to workers.
He said "education and compliance" campaigns had been conducted with Canberra's hair and beauty, hospitality and pharmacy sectors as well as specialised food retailers, the motor trade, bottle shops, furniture and carpet outlets.
"It's important we check that workers are being paid correctly, but we also want to be pro-active about ensuring employers understand their obligations," he said.
The Ombudsman's office carried out spot checks on 4567 employers throughout Australia in the 2013-2014 financial year and recovered more than $4 million in unpaid wages and entitlements for 7541 workers.
Mr Campbell said that workers, manager or business owners with any questions or complaints should contact his office.
