“The Federal Court has ordered the husband-and-wife operators be fined for underpayment to migrant workers”

Two Vietnamese eateries in Adelaide have been ordered to pay $802,000 in court penalties for underpaying migrant workers, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) says.

The Federal Court has ordered Mr Viet Quoc Mai (Mr Mai) to back-pay $407,546 owed to 36 workers he underpaid as part of the operation of the ‘Mr Viet’ restaurant in Adelaide’s Rundle Mall, in South Australia, and food court outlet in the city’s Chinatown Precinct.

The imposed payment includes interest and superannuation.

In addition, a $260,000 penalty has been enforced against Mr Mai as well as a $130,000 penalty against his wife, Ms Huong Le, for her involvement in the contraventions, the FWO said in a statement.

FWO said the penalties were imposed for a number of contraventions, which include giving false records to Fair Work inspectors; underpaying or not paying minimum rates to staff; and employees being unreasonably required to spend their own money. The FWO said in some cases workers were forced to buy their bosses’ bubble tea.

The Court found underpaid workers were mostly international Vietnamese students aged under 25 who were paid as little as $15 an hour…