Workplace police to target hairdressers

Hairdressers and beauty salons will be targeted by the federal Workplace Ombudsman
to ensure staff are not being underpaid.
Ombudsman executive director Michael Campbell says inspectors will carry out random
audits and examine the books of hundreds of salons around the country.
"The hair and beauty industry is one where we receive a lot of complaints, and many
of these workers, such as young people and trainees, are vulnerable, so it's
important we make sure they are being treated fairly," Mr Campbell said in a
statement on Sunday.
The inspectors will check employment records to make sure proper time and wage
information is being entered and that pay slips are being issued correctly.
Mr Campbell said the aim was to educate employers about meeting their obligations
which included paying minimum hourly rates, allowances and penalty rates where they
apply.
He said a Perth hair-salon operator Sterling Crown, which runs Partners for Hair,
was fined $4500 earlier this year for refusing to let inspectors look at its books.
A campaign in WA by the ombudsman last year recovered $40,000 in lost wages for 34
employers who had been inadvertently underpaid, Mr Campbell said.