Up to 100 retailers will be audited this week in Bendigo, with workplace inspectors making sure they are complying with workplace laws.
Workplace Ombudsman executive director Michael Campbell said inspectors will focus on ensuring employers are complying with their time and wages records and pay slip obligations.
“Our inspectors will run through a simple checklist with employers and hand out a series of fact sheets,” he said.
Campbell says the campaign aims to educate employers about their obligations under federal workplace relations laws. If breaches of the Workplace Relations Act are identified, inspectors will explain what the employer must do to rectify the problem.
The Workplace Ombudsman recovered more than $100,000 for workers at more than 30 businesses in Bendigo in the last six months of 2008, plus a further $500,000 for workers across the greater Bendigo region.
Random audits of retailers will be done in the Bendigo Marketplace and downtown Bendigo on Wednesday 18 March and Thursday 19 March.