Questacon has been forced to provide thousands of dollars in backpay to current and former employees after the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) uncovered systemic underpayment issues.
Pay issues uncovered by the CPSU so far include unpaid casual staff overtime, unpaid minimum duration shifts, unpaid travelling staff overtime, and unpaid fire warden allowances.
In the second half of 2023, CPSU members at Questacon began to report potential instances of underpayment. From there, the union kicked off a worker consultation campaign which uncovered widespread cases of underpayment. This led to the commencement of a formal investigation.
The initial investigation was into overtime payment applicability for designated hours employees and overtime payments for travelling staff (employees engaged in national touring and outreach programs). However, the union advocated to have the investigation extended to include underpayment of allowances, such as the Fire Warden Allowance.
The investigation has since found that employees were not correctly paid for undertaking the role of Fire Warden, and Questacon has subsequently commenced paying staff what they were owed.
Employees receiving their backpay for the unpaid Fire Warden allowance will be receiving up to $1,892, along with interest and superannuation.
The investigation into the other categories of systemic underpayments is ongoing.
The CPSU is also aware of further potential underpayments by Questacon and will continue to work with delegates and members to identify those.
Quotes attributable to Beth Vincent-Pietsch, CPSU Deputy Secretary:
"Following a 12-month campaign driven by CPSU members in Questacon, the CPSU has secured thousands of dollars in backpay for both current and former employees.
"Questacon required staff to do overtime, take on the responsibility and participate in training to be fire wardens and first aid officers, and to travel around the country working long and irregular hours. Unfortunately, Questacon failed to correctly pay staff for those duties.
"From our own investigation and work with employees, it is clear to the union that this is a case of systemic underpayment and note not a one-off mistake.
"The CPSU is proud to have brought these underpayments to an end, and to have secured backpay for the hundreds of workers who have been impacted.
"The job is far from done. Three other categories of underpayments are still outstanding, and the union is aware of other potential cases of underpayments dating back further than those within scope of the current investigation.
"Our members play a vital role in the success of Questacon and the safety of visitors, and it is crucial that they receive the pay and allowances that they are entitled to.
"The CPSU will continue to work closely with Questacon to ensure underpaid workers receive the backpay they are owed and to make sure that this issue doesn't happen again.
