ADELAIDE: An unnamed South Australian womenswear retailer has been forced to stump up $10,000 in unpaid wages following an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The business, based in Adelaide, was found to have underpaid 20 teenage girls either currently or formerly in its employ after using the wrong pay scale.
The problem came to light after the business was audited by the agency following complaints from former workers.
The underpayments dated back to March 2006, with one worker - still employed by the retailer - owed more than $2000.
Fair Work Ombudsman executive director Michael Campbell said in a statement that no further action would be taken against the retailer as the underpayments were deemed to be "inadvertent".
The employer had cooperated fully with his office and voluntarily rectified the problem once it was uncovered, Campbell said.