Vegan cafe owner fined for underpayments

The former owner of Cloud Nine Vegan cafe in North Perth has been ordered to pay more than $33,000 in back pay and penalties following 24 breaches of the restaurant workers’ award.

Western Australia’s Industrial Magistrates Court today ordered Cloud Nine operator Jodie Cooper to pay $24,337 in unpaid wages and interest and a $9,000 penalty for the contraventions of the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers’ Award 1979.

Five former employees of the now-closed cafe had not been paid in accordance with the award.

Industrial Magistrate Martin Flynn said the workers were of a young age and several were on temporary visas, with the underpayments causing them to struggle financially.

Magistrate Flynn also said the penalty should send a message to other employers that it was not worth underpaying employees.

Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety private sector labour relations executive director, Lorraine Field, warned other cafe owners to check pay rates and ensure they were in line with the award.

“Currently a number of teams of state industrial inspectors are active across Perth and regional WA auditing cafe and restaurant businesses to check that the employees are being paid the legal pay rates,” Ms Field said.