Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
William Ton

Crown warned as staff get paid for lost long service

Crown says it has introduced new systems to ensure the underpayments do not happen again. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

Crown has been issued with formal warnings and forced to pay back more than half a million dollars to hundreds of workers it underpaid for long service.

The casino giant failed to pay more than 300 staff their long service leave entitlements between November 2018 and December 2022.

Victoria's long service leave watchdog, the Wage Inspectorate, began investigating the company in May 2022 after a former employee complained about their underpayment.

Crown has since repaid workers more than $500,000 in total, consisting of $470,000 in remuneration, interest and a voluntary 10 per cent contrition payment.

Workers in Victoria can claim long service leave after continuously working for a single employer for at least seven years either full time, part time, casually, seasonally or a fixed term.

The state's long service regulator has powers to prosecute an offender to court if they breach the laws but may choose other options, such as a formal warning in Crown's case, based on public interest factors.

The more than $500,000 returning to Victorians' wallets would make a significant difference to their lives, Wage Inspectorate Commissioner Robert Hortle said.

"Some of Australia's biggest companies have fallen foul of long service leave laws, including Crown, Commonwealth Bank, Optus, Woolworths and Coles, so boardrooms across the nation should be asking questions about their own long service leave obligations and governance," he said.

A spokesman for Crown Resorts said the company acted immediately to remediate payments to former staff.

"Crown has reviewed this matter and has introduced new systems and processes to prevent this from happening in the future," he said.

He said Crown would continue to work with the Victorian Wage Inspectorate on the matter and ongoing compliance.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.