The Fair Work Ombudsman is auditing up to 1500 cafes, restaurants, and catering businesses across Australia as part of a national education and compliance campaign.

Fair Work Inspectors will check businesses are paying employees their minimum entitlements, including hourly rates, shift loadings and penalty rates, maintaining appropriate records, and providing pay slips.

Fair Work Ombudsman, Natalie James, said cafes, restaurants and caterers generate a large number of complaints and, as part of the broader accommodation and food services sector is consistently in the top three industries that generates complaints.

“This sector employs many young and foreign workers who can be vulnerable if they are not fully aware of their workplace rights. They can often be reluctant to complain or how to approach the issue if there’s a concern about their entitlements,” James said.

“While it’s important we ensure workers are receiving their full entitlements, we’ll also work with industry bodies and individual businesses to ensure employers are aware of their obligations and meet them.”

Audits will be conducted right across Australia, with a focus on locations including:

NSW/ACT: Sydney, Canberra, Albury, Broken Hill, Byron Bay, Dubbo, Forster, Gosford, Goulburn, Leeton, Mudgee, Murwillumbah, Newcastle, Nimbin, Nowra, Singleton, Tamworth, Taree, Wollongong, and Wyong.

VIC: Melbourne including Brunswick, Camberwell, Carlton, Fitzroy, Footscray, Glen Waverley, Noble Park, North Melbourne and Springvale, and regional areas including Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Gippsland, Shepparton, and Warrnambool.

QLD: Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Ayr, Bowen, Bundaberg, Caboolture, Gold Coast, Emerald, Gympie, Hamilton Island, Hervey Bay, Ipswich, Mackay, Port Douglas, Stanthorpe, Sunshine Coast, and Townsville.

WA: Perth and Fremantle, as well as Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Busselton, Collie, Denmark, Dunsborough, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Mandurah, and Margaret River.

SA: Adelaide, Hahndorf, and Mount Barker.

NT: Alice Springs and Darwin.

TAS: Hobart and Launceston.

This is the second phase of a wider three year Fair Work Ombudsman campaign focusing on the hospitality industry.

Fair Work Inspectors audited hundreds of accommodation providers, pubs, taverns and bars earlier this year and plan to focus on take-away food operators in early 2014. The Fair Work Ombudsman conducted a similar campaign in the hospitality industry in 2008, auditing 664 employers nationally.

That campaign found that more than one third of employers weren’t meeting their obligations under workplace law and recovered $1.6 million in back-pay for 4679 underpaid employees nationally.

James says these campaigns provide an opportunity for employers to improve their understanding of, and compliance with, workplace laws.

“We have excellent resources available to help businesses in the hospitality industry, along with tools that employees can use to check they’re receiving everything they should,” James said.