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Tough enforcement measures against employers
Individual employers who breach workers’ minimum rights in areas like minimum wages, holidays, rest/meal breaks, and breastfeeding facilities can be given penalties of up to $50,000. For companies the maximum penalty is either $100,000 or three times the gain they made out of the breach, whichever is more. Some less serious breaches by employers carry lesser levels of penalties.
These penalties also apply to employers who don’t keep copies of individual employment agreements or who don’t keep the required wages/time records and holiday/leave records. In those cases, government labour inspectors also have the option of issuing an infringement notice carrying a $1,000 fine (these are like a speeding ticket). The employer can simply pay the fine or they can go to court to challenge the notice, but regardless of whether they pay it first off or get found guilty in court, they don’t get a criminal record.
