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Brisbane 7-Eleven franchisee allegedly rips off employees

Sarah Stowe

Another 7-Eleven franchisee is facing legal action from The Fair Work Ombudsman and possible fines up to $51,000 for each breach for allegedly underpaying 21 staff members.

Jason Yuan, who part-owns both Vipper Pty Ltd and Viplus Pty Ltd, runs the two Brisbane CBD-based 7-Eleven stores on 231 George Street and 174 Adelaide Street respectively. Yuan faces maximum penalties of up to $10,200 per infringement. This could add up to a hefty $1,285,200.

Employees of the two 7-Eleven franchises were said to have been short changed over $31,000 between September 2013 and September 2014. The stores are alleged to have paid staff, among them international students, as little as a $17.74 flat rate for shifts, weekends, overtime, and late night work.

The Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James had previously warned Yuan in February 2013 about his obligations to pay employees legal minimum penalty rates. The two stores were one of many businesses targeted by the Fair Work Ombudsman during surprise evening visits as part of a tri-State operation in September 2014.

James said 7-Eleven is the focus of a national Investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman into claims of ingrained underpayments and inaccurate record-keeping practices.

A final report is expected in the first quarter of this year.

Employers and employees seeking further information can visit www.fairwork.gov.au or contact the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94.

Interpreter services are available by calling 13 14 50, as well as information and helpful materials on the website https://www.fairwork.gov.au/, available in 27 different languages.