As part of its Proactive Compliance Deed (PCD) with the Fair Work Ombudsman, La Porchetta will review its employees pay packets to ensure they are receiving their full entitlements.

The pizza and pasta franchise has agreed to self-audit the records of a third, or 24 of its Australian stores over the next three years, with a mix of permanent and casual employees involved in the review.

In the event that staff are found to be underpaid, La Porchetta will work with franchisees to ensure staff are back-paid as promptly as possible.  

In addition, the company will conduct follow-up enquiries with those stores within six months.

The move comes after a La Porchetta franchisee, who operated two restaurants in the Melbourne suburbs of Pakenham and Berwick, was fined more than $330,000 for underpaying their staff.

La Porchetta CEO, Sara Pantaleo said the business values its staff and has reviewed a range of its internal processes accordingly.

“We expect all of our franchisees to pay their staff correctly and be fully compliant with the Fair Work Act. We have worked closely with the office of the Fair Work Ombudsman to further strengthen our internal processes and ensure all our franchisees are fully compliant going forward.

“The Fair Work Act is now more complex than ever and for this reason, we have reviewed our induction and ongoing training procedures to make it easier for franchisees to comply,” added Pantaleo. 

Under the terms of the PCD, La Porchetta has agreed to provide new franchisees with employment induction training and employment packs covering key aspects of workplace laws.

All franchisees will receive annual updates on wage obligations and an employee liaison officer has been appointed to deal specifically with any new complaints from workers about their entitlements.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has agreed to refer any new complaints it receives to La Porchetta to allow the company to liaise with franchisees and resolve them at the workplace level.

It has, however, reserved the right to investigate matters considered to be serious or in the public interest.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James is pleased by La Porchetta’s proactive approach, and encourages other employers to similarly enter into a PCD.

“Proactive Compliance Deeds facilitate better communication between employers and employees, as well as strengthening the co-operation and working arrangements between employers and ourselves,” she said.

“The Deeds are a valuable way for us to engage with employers who want to do the right thing and we commend La Porchetta Franchising for taking the extra step of joining up.”