Labor Leader Luke Foley has outlined more of his comprehensive plan to eliminate the exploitation of vulnerable employees through wage theft.

Mr Foley unveiled the plan during the NSW Annual Labor Conference, which will target unscrupulous employers and attract the heaviest penalties in Australia as well as jail terms for individuals.

In addition to a comprehensive five point plan, NSW Labor will:

• Require businesses to publicly display minimum wages rates paid to staff with their business registration where patrons and public can see;
• Place businesses found to have breached the law on a public “name and shame” register, and make them ineligible to participate in future contracts with the NSW Government;
• Ensure disputes and other issues regarding apprenticeships and vocational training which are regulated by State law can be heard in the Industrial Relations Commission

Labor’s comprehensive package will outlaw the exploitation of workers, the majority of whom are young and have recently entered the workforce.

Quotes attributable to Opposition Leader Luke Foley:

“Vulnerable young workers are being cheated out of a staggering amount of wages by unscrupulous bosses and it has to stop.  We know the Liberals will never act – but Labor will.

“We’ll deliver a new wage theft law to criminalise the deliberate failure to pay wages and other entitlements.

“Our new laws won’t apply to genuine mistakes. Employers who do the right thing will benefit as they won’t be competing with under-cutting cheats. But we’ll go after that minority whose business model is based on exploitation.”

Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Adam Searle:

“Everyone should be paid fairly and legally for the work they perform. What we have seen here in NSW is thewidespread abuse of some of the most vulnerable workers – young people who are the future of our community.

“Only NSW Labor has a positive plan to combat this abuse. Today I am pleased to report back and say: we have listened and we have acted.”