The National Library underpaid library assistants nearly $250,000 in wages and superannuation: Fair Work Ombudsman

The public entity self-reported the error to the FWO after it realised it had not been paying its casual library assistants weekend and public holiday rates and related superannuation contributions for two decades.

The unpaid wages affected 106 current and former staff totalling $245,359 between 2000 and April 2020. The underpayments ranged between $12 and $19,997 with at least 11 employees being underpaid more than $5000.

Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said the National Library had entered an Enforceable Undertaking, meaning it would pay the remaining amount owed within the next three months.

It also agreed to pay interest on the back payments.

"Under the Enforceable Undertaking, [National Library] has committed to stringent measures to comply with the law and protect its workforce. This includes engaging, at its own cost, an expert auditing firm to audit its compliance with workplace laws," Ms Parker said.

"This matter serves as a warning to all public and private sector employers that if you don't prioritise workplace compliance, you risk underpaying staff on a large scale."

The library will not need to pay any extra compensation in addition to the unpaid wages and interest at this stage. A National Library spokesperson said it was sorry to any casual staff it underpaid.

"This error should not have occurred, and the National Library of Australia sincerely apologises to any casual staff who were underpaid," a spokesperson said.

"Our systems and processes have been updated to ensure ongoing compliance with Fair Work regulations and steps have been taken to rectify the underpayments."

The casual library assistants affected over the two decade period were responsible for assisting attendees in the library's reading rooms and worked on weekends and public holidays.