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Advocacy

Ending wage theft

The McKell Institute estimates that wage theft is costing South Australian workers $500 million a year. We know that wage theft is hitting women, young people and migrant workers the hardest. Things need to change. Let’s join together as South Australians to eliminate wage theft.

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Wage theft is happening in South Australia

Can you live off less than $15 per hour? 

International students have reported to us that businesses in Adelaide were paying less than $15 per hour, sometimes as low as $6 per hour. This is not a living wage. Wage theft is very common in South Australia and can happen to anyone. We are one of many organisations working to eliminate wage theft in South Australia. 

What is wage theft?

Wage theft is when employers steal money from their workers by not paying them their proper wages. Wage theft might look like being paid less than the minimum wage for your industry, or not getting superannuation, or not being paid allowances or penalty rates.

 

Moving towards a South Australia free of wage theft

Many groups are working towards the goal of eliminating wage theft.  

  • We collaborated with several student and youth organisations to host a free training webinar called ‘Your Rights at Work – International Students’, to educate students about their minimum wages and other workplace rights.
  • Nearly 400 Chinese workers formed an online community to compile lists of employers in South Australia who were underpaying their workers.
  • The Working Women’s Centre gave evidence to the Select Committee into Wage Theft in South Australia, which handed down its report in 2021. 
  • We joined calls to bring in new laws that make wage theft a criminal offence. New laws apply at a federal level as of 1 January 2025.

WEBINAR

Wage Theft in SA

This webinar was hosted by Abbey Kendall, Director of WWCSA, and includes guests Irene Pnevmatikos MLC, Edward Cavanough from the McKell Institute and Angas Story from SA Unions.

Watch

How can you get involved?

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Learn more about wage theft.

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Make sure you are being paid properly.

Fact Sheet

Join your union

Stand together against wage theft.

Join

Webinar

Your Rights at Work: International Students

This free webinar is designed for international students studying in Australia, providing them with skills and resources to better equip them to assert their rights in the workplace and to fight exploitation.

Watch
ending wage theft rally

Support the campaign to end wage theft in South Australia.

Stand up against underpayment of workers.

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