Navigating the Fair Work process can be difficult and painful, especially for migrant workers. Advocates are calling for further protections for visa holders to ensure they're able to pursue lost wages.
00:00When John Vo gained Australian citizenship at the start of the year, it was supposed to mark the start of a new chapter.
00:09Instead, over the past few months, the 27-year-old has poured hours into trying to reclaim nearly $1,600 in unpaid wages.
00:18Working in the hospital is stressful enough, and then you have to go home and look into the paperwork and send in HR emails.
00:27After engaging the Fair Work Ombudsman, his employer, the Hilton Doubletree in Hobart, agreed that he had been underpaid almost $1,600 in less than a year.
00:38Most people would just put their head down and keep working, because you work a 10-hour shift in the hospital, you're tired enough, you don't want to go home and type up an email and doing some extra research.
00:51A spokesperson for the Hilton said after becoming aware of the error in public holiday entitlements, they corrected the issue as quickly as possible and remained committed to addressing their team members' concerns with transparency and care.
01:04John has since been paid the money he was owed. However, experts say many visa holders elsewhere don't pursue action.
01:11Extremely few migrant workers who are underpaid ever do anything. One in 10 of those who knew they were underpaid told anyone, even friends and family.
01:21A Migrant Justice Institute report found that difficulty identifying legal entitlements and fears about their visas being revoked contribute to the extremely low rates of migrants taking action over underpayment.
01:33For many, they really have no options other than to wait until they finish their job and at that point they have to return home, they have no option to stay in Australia.
01:44The Institute wants a pilot program which enables visa holders to stay on beyond their visa to pursue claims to be expanded.
01:52A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs said requests to approve more service providers have been shared with the government for consideration.
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