'Bullying, yelling, sexual harassment, underpaid': study finds one in three young workers are ripped off

SBS Australia

12 hours ago

Deshal Patel moved to Australia from India for higher education, and sought part-time work to get through her studies. Her first job at a jewellery store paid well below the minimum wage. "I was getting paid $13 an hour. I was getting paid in cash, obviously there was no superannuation or penalty rates when I worked over the weekends. My other co-workers were also getting paid the same rate and we didn't have any formal contract or anything like that." In total, Ms Patel says she worked seven jobs where she was underpaid, and in some cases, mistreated. "Bullying, harassment or your employers yelling at you. I also experienced sexual harassment at some of the workplaces, and my experience is not an isolated incident. I know a lot of my friends, peers and co-workers have experienced something very similar. I hear the story again and again, so I would say this is a widespread problem and not an isolated experience." Ms Patel is among the one in three young workers who have been ripped off by employers, according to a new study. Its co-author is Professor John Howe from Melbourne University's Law School. He says young migrants are among the most vulnerable to workplace exploitation. "So if you're on a visa, then you might be worried, whether rightly or not, about losing that visa if you make a complaint. In the case of people from a non-English speaking background, if their English is not great, they may not understand their rights or may not feel confident enough to raise an issue let alone make a complaint." In a survey of more than 2,800 workers under 30, the study found a third of respondents were paid $15 per hour or less. 36 per cent weren't allowed to take breaks they were entitled to, while a similar number, 34 per cent, weren't paid for trial shift work. As many as 60 per cent had to pay for work-related uniforms, equipment and training. "The report's damning but certainly not surprising." Yolanda Robson is director of the Melbourne-based Young Workers Centre, which has spoken to more than 65,000 young people during outreach programs. "If you are a person who identifies as young or queer or coming from a migrant background, then we know you're inherently more at risk of workplace exploitation. That is just fact, that you are over-represented and more likely to be injured at work, taken advantage of, bullied, discriminated on the job. We see it all the time at the Young Workers Centre." And for young people who have recently entered the workforce, she has this message: "Getting taken advantage of doesn't build resilience. What builds resilience is knowing what your rights are and actually going about asserting them with your fellow co-workers. That's what builds resilience, not being exploited." Desha Patel says migrants like her are particularly vulnerable, and she's calling for greater action to stop workplace exploitation. "I really hope to see some systemic changes where these employers are held accountable and we can actually prevent wage theft and harassment in the first place. The onus shouldn't be on workers to hold these employers accountable. We already have these laws. I wish the government and other agencies work together to better implement these laws." In a statement to SBS, a spokesperson for the Fair Work Ombudsman says it proactively checks employers are doing the right thing, and prioritises education and assistance for vulnerable young workers.