Two women battle former employer to receive their entitlements

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The two women are fighting for their rights after their former employer didn't pay their entitlements such as annual leave, superannuation and long service leave when they resigned.

Transcript

00:00For a combined total of 27 years, Kathy and Maurice were the kind of employees who poured

00:08their heart and soul into the small business they worked at.

00:11We were good people and we were hardworking.

00:15Unsurprisingly, then, their decision to resign from their receptionist roles at Focus Eyewear

00:19in early 2023 wasn't one taken lightly, and it's why they are so hurt by what happened

00:25next.

00:26Neither Kathy nor Maurice were paid their entitlements, including annual leave, superannuation

00:31and long service leave.

00:33This is pretty draining and frustrating and annoying that we have had to go down this

00:38track for something that we were entitled to on the day we finished working.

00:44It was upsetting, it was frustrating, annoying, and I'm really disappointed.

00:50I'm so disappointed that a man you can put in so many hours and time to for that long

00:57can do that to you.

00:58The women's battle to get what they are owed has now been going on for almost two years.

01:03It's brought them into contact with the Fair Work Ombudsman for the annual leave and the

01:08Australian Tax Office for the super, where they say both issues were dealt with quickly

01:12and easily in a matter of months.

01:15The next port of call was WorkSafe ACT, who ultimately recommended they seek legal help

01:20to sort out the long service leave.

01:22By the time they came to us, I mean, it was I think about 18 months after their employment

01:27had ended, and we were kind of the end of the road.

01:31Despite lawyers having successfully obtained judgements in their favour at the ACT Civil

01:35and Administrative Tribunal ordering their former employer pay that long service leave,

01:39neither Cathy nor Maurice are yet to see a cent of the $16,000 and $11,000 they are owed, respectively.

01:45Focus Eyewear didn't respond to the ABC's request for comment prior to the deadline

01:49for this story, and although correspondents seen by the ABC had indicated WorkSafe ACT

01:54was considering taking regulatory action against the business, it wouldn't comment when asked

01:59to confirm this.

02:00Their lawyer says it's a unique case, not because it seldom happens, but because most

02:05people simply give up.

02:07People just move on, they get another job, they don't have the time or energy to actually

02:12follow up those underpayments.

02:14So while it might seem like a small matter, actually being paid the entitlements that

02:19you're entitled to is really significant.

02:21I'm the one suffering still just to get what's meant to be mine.

02:24And with money still owing, there's no end in sight to that suffering.

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