Fair Work Ombudsman
Citation: FWO-2022-06-06-the-lodge-MGL-litigation-media-release
At a glance
- Penalty
- $33,300
- Employees affected
- 3
- Awards cited
- MA000173
What happened
The Fair Work Ombudsman commenced legal action against The Lodge MGL Pty Ltd, which operates Write Coffee Reserve in Menai, southern Sydney. The investigation began after three workers requested assistance. They included a 17-year-old food and beverage attendant, a Nepalese kitchen attendant on a student visa, and an adult food and beverage attendant. The workers allege they were not paid wages for periods between December 2020 and April 2021. A Fair Work inspector issued a Compliance Notice in August 2021, which the company allegedly failed to follow.
What was decided
The Fair Work Ombudsman is taking The Lodge MGL Pty Ltd to court for allegedly failing to comply with a Compliance Notice. The notice required the company to calculate and back-pay outstanding entitlements, including minimum wage, casual loading, and public holiday penalties under the Restaurant Industry Award 2020. The company faces a maximum penalty of $33,300 and a court order to rectify underpayments, plus interest and superannuation. A directions hearing is scheduled for June 2022.
What it means for employers
Employers must comply with Compliance Notices issued by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Failure to do so can result in significant penalties and court orders to back-pay entitlements. Businesses should ensure they are aware of their obligations under workplace laws and awards.
What it means for employees
Employees who believe they have not been paid correctly should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free assistance. The Fair Work Ombudsman encourages employees to seek help if they have concerns about their pay or entitlements.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/2022-media-releases/june-2022/20220606-the-lodge-MGL-litigation-media-releaseWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The full dataset, with structured fields for awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts, is available through the Business API. FairWork Mate AI answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. API + AI access is a paid product. Contact us for pricing or a 50% off first month.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
This summary was drafted by AI from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections →