De Costi Seafood, a subsidiary of Tassal, will likely have to pay its workers more than a million dollars in backpay, after the Australian Workers’ Union won its case against the seafood giant in the Federal Court today. The AWU has brought a claim against Tassal on behalf of two members whose shifts started before 6am but were not paid penalty rates. De Costi Seafood argued that employees working before 6amwere not entitled to any payments for early starts. The union believes about 50 current workers — and hundreds of former employees — have been underpaid more than a million dollars over the past six years. AWU NSW Branch Secretary Tony Callinan said the win was a massive one for the workers and for the union. “This is a huge win for our members and proves once again that if workers join their union they can take on the boss and win big,” Mr Callinan said. “Hundreds of De Costi workers had been short-changed by their employer for years. Well now that money’s coming back to where it belongs. “This case took years and enormous effort and I’m so proud of everyone involved. “If you get up in the middle of the night to work your shift in this country you deserve to be fairly compensated for that effort. That’s a principle Australians holds dear and we’ve proven today it’s one that still applies. “These women and men worked bloody hard doing tough jobs to put food on Australian tables. But without their union they would have been forced to donate over a million dollars of their hard earned to their employer. “Tassal was certain it had found a technicality that would allow it to avoid paying penalty rates. We’ve fought that and we’ve won.” |