Marine company sued for allegedly paying workers just $100 for an eight-hour day, seven days a week

    AAP
    July 25, 2012 10:28AM
    Adelaide Now.

A COMPANY is being sued for allegedly paying two men just $100 a day for working an eight-hour shift, seven days a week at Port Adelaide docks.   

The Fair Work Ombudsman says it has lodged a statement of claim in the Adelaide Federal Court alleging the two Fijian men were underpaid more than $25,000 in an unlawful unpaid training arrangement by Sydney-based Devine Marine Group Pty Ltd, which provides shipping and marine salvage services.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has also launched legal action against Devine Marine Group sole director and majority-owner Captain Brett Barry Devine, of Sydney, and Adelaide Nautical College principal Arthur Boucaut-Jones, of Largs Bay in Adelaide.   

Devine Marine Group allegedly recruited the two workers from Fiji, assisted them with accommodation, airfares and obtaining sub-class 456 Short Stay Business Visas and paid them a living-away allowance of $100 a day, the ombudsman says in a statement released on Wednesday.   

The two workers allegedly worked for three months and six months respectively, with duties including painting, welding and labouring, but did not get wages or superannuation.   

The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges they were not paid because the work was deemed training by the Australian Nautical College, in conjunction with Devine Marine Group.

Court documents allege the workers should have been employed as casual employees and should have been paid more than $19 an hour on weekdays and up to $39 an hour on weekends.   

The ombudsman says they were underpaid $14,869 and $10,144 respectively.   

Devine and Boucaut-Jones face penalties of up to $6,600 per breach and Devine Marine Group faces penalties of up to $33,000 per breach.   

The matter will go back to court on September 19.

There is no shortage of grubs out there.