Fair Work wants international students to report exploitation
Observing and expressing its concern over a “disproportionately low” number of complaints from foreign students, Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James has urged international students to seek the agency’s help if they are exploited at work.
Ms. James wrote an “open letter” addressing the international students.
“If there’s a problem with your pay or if other issues arise at your work, I encourage you to speak to us,” the letter says.
“We’ve seen cases where employers have threatened international students with deportation for working more than the number of hours permitted under their visa when they have raised questions about their entitlements. In some cases these same employers have altered pay slips and underpaid hourly rates in order to disguise the number of hours the student has worked,” she wrote.
Last year, one-third of workers’ exploitation cases reported to the Fair Work involved international students.