Fair Work Ombudsman
At a glance
- Souvlaki GR Ormond Pty Ltd, Souvlaki GR Thornbury Pty Ltd, and GR St Kilda Pty Ltd
- $33,300
- 5
- MA000173
What happened
The Fair Work Ombudsman commenced legal action against Souvlaki GR Ormond Pty Ltd, Souvlaki GR Thornbury Pty Ltd, and GR St Kilda Pty Ltd, and their sole director, the Respondent. This followed requests for assistance from five workers who worked at the Melbourne restaurants between August 2020 and March 2021. The workers, including a cook and four young food and beverage attendants, allegedly were underpaid under the Restaurant Industry Award 2020 and the National Employment Standards. Compliance Notices were issued in October 2021, but were not complied with.
What was decided
The Fair Work Ombudsman is seeking penalties against the companies and the Respondent for failing to comply with Compliance Notices. The companies face penalties of up to $33,300 each, and the Respondent faces penalties of up to $6,660 per breach. The FWO also seeks orders for the companies to calculate and rectify the alleged underpayments, including superannuation and interest. The proceedings were discontinued in April 2023. The Fair Work Ombudsman emphasized the importance of complying with workplace laws and encourages employees with pay concerns to seek assistance.
What it means for employers
Employers must comply with workplace laws, including paying minimum wages, penalty rates, and entitlements as outlined in awards and the National Employment Standards. Failure to do so and subsequent non-compliance with Compliance Notices can result in significant penalties.
What it means for employees
Employees should be aware of their workplace entitlements and seek assistance from the Fair Work Ombudsman if they suspect they are being underpaid or treated unfairly. Free advice and assistance are available through the Fair Work Infoline.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Send your details to Liquid Employment Lawyers
Liquid Employment Lawyers is a paid legal service and our referral partner, not free Fair Work advice. FairWork Mate may receive a referral fee from Liquid Legal. Tell them what has happened and a member of their team will call you back. For free general guidance, use our tools or call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.
Prefer to read first? About Liquid Employment Lawyers · Not sure if you need a lawyer? Read the legal help guides
Want more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
FairWork Mate AI
This is one decision. Pro reads all of them.
Free case pages cite the top 250 decisions. Pro opens the full Fair Work Commission and Federal Court library, cross-references your own situation against it, and cites the decision behind every answer — plus document upload, so it can read your letter or contract line by line. 150 questions a month, cancel anytime.
Renews monthly at A$29.99 until you cancel. By continuing you agree to our Terms.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.