Employers

Your rights and obligations as an employer

You must:

meet minimum conditions of employment
provide a safe and healthy workplace
display a current copy of an award or agreement where employees can easily view it
keep time and wage records for all employees
give written statements of wages paid to all employees
keep records on each employee
not discriminate
let employees – and their unions – know of changes at the workplace that may significantly affect them

You can expect your employees to:

meet all reasonable and legal requests of their employer
be punctual
be respectful and honest

How to meet your obligations

Whether you are an employer or an employee, you must meet your obligations by fulfilling the requirements of the Industrial Relations Act 1999 (PDF, 1.9 MB) and any applicable award or agreement.

Failing to meet your obligations

If an employer fails to meet industrial relations obligations, you need to talk directly with the employer first.

If this doesn’t help, contact either your union or Industrial Relations information centre on 1300 369 945.

The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) or the Industrial Magistrates court can order an employer who doesn’t meet minimum conditions of employment to pay unpaid wages.

Alternatively you can take advantage of the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations self-recovery kit (PDF, 182 KB) , enabling employees to recover unpaid wages and entitlements through the Minor Debts Court (if the claim is for less than $7,500). It is a quick, low cost do-it-yourself way to recover a minor debt without using lawyers. To file a claim will cost between $45 and $77. You should check with the registrar of the Court as filing fees are subject to variation.

Last updated 2 July 2007